Bruises
by widget29
Summary: Wally has always known it was stupid to fall in love with his best friend. And recently his feelings for Robin seem to be doing a lot of damage to them both. But a lifelong obsession is hard to fight, no matter how destructive it may be. SLASH. KF/R
1. Battle Stations

**Author's Notes: So this is going to be slightly longer than my other stuff and more story-like (hopefully). And just so everyone's clear, this is SLASH. Sorry if you're not into that :P**

**For Context: Robin's 16 and Wally's 18. Wally has finished up high school and is moving into his first apartment :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc**

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><p>Bruises<p>

Chapter 1: Battle Stations

The sunlight streaming in through the dusty windowpanes seemed like a good omen to Wally. It made even the dirtiest corners of the room glow softly and actually managed to give the old, musty apartment a sort of charm. But the cheery light was nothing in comparison to the sight of the teen sitting on the filthy floor, barefoot and legs stretched out, rummaging through a large box.

"Help me unpack _your_ things, KF? Don't be silly! You just relax. You deserve it!" the younger boy exclaimed with false sweetness.

"Hey, thanks, Rob. I'm just gonna go catch a movie then—" An old sock hit him in the face.

"Get to work, you idiot. I'm not doing this by myself."

Wally opened up a box of clothes and started stuffing them into drawers. It was wonderful not to have someone yelling at him to fold them for once.

"I don't even wanna know how old some of these things are," Robin muttered under his breath.

Wally could feel himself grinning. Something about Robin sitting on the floor, busy at work, and talking to himself was just so homey. The light glinted off his dark hair at just the right angle, catching on the lighter undertones. Wally's eyes were drawn to the shoulder blades shifting under his shirt and the tendons stretching on the backs of his hands as the younger boy dug through the pile of junk.

Robin glanced up suddenly, his blue eyes meeting Wally's gaze. If he noticed that Wally had been staring at him, he tactfully made no comment about it. Instead he held up a tangled mess of string and plastic. "Do you ever throw anything away?"

"Oh hey, my yoyos! I forgot about those!" Wally snatched them up and started to untangle them. "This blue one totally lights up. It's awesome."

"I'm going to be really nice, and just pretend that I didn't hear that. Your ego can thank me later." Robin turned back to digging through the box. "I just don't understand why you hoard all this stuff," he mumbled to himself.

"What can I say? I'm sentimental. It's what makes me so popular with the ladies."

Robin gave him an odd look, as he always did when Wally answered him when he was talking to himself. Robin never expected a response. And when he got one, he looked at you like you were a tactless idiot who had just rudely intruded on a private conversation. It was probably the effect of working with Batman for so long, Wally guessed. He couldn't imagine Gotham's dark knight was much of a conversationalist.

An off-tune sort of humming filled the room as Robin dumped out the box's entire contents and started separating things into piles. Wally found himself smiling again.

Until another song cut through the homey atmosphere, and Robin pulled out his cellphone. "Hey, Jenny(1)."

Wally made a face. He'd been so busy feeling all cozy and happy that he'd completely forgotten about Jenny. The whore. At least, that's what Wally called her…In his head…Not to Robin's face. Jenny was Robin's latest in a series of nice, normal girls from school who knew him only as Dick Grayson. If Robin was trying to make a point about his "type," it was coming across loud and clear. And Wally was all too aware that he did not fit into Robin's girl-next-door ideal.

He liked to think he was getting used to it—this whole unrequited love business. Most of the time he was able to avoid thinking about it. Girls had helped a lot with that. They were such wonderfully distracting little things. Sometimes those feelings of longing and bitterness would creep up on him. But no matter how overwhelming such feelings seemed, he always managed to keep them to himself. Because he knew that was what Robin wanted.

"Mmkay. See you at two. Yup. Bye."

Wally looked at his cell. A depressing 1:00 stared back at him.

"You're leaving already? But we haven't gotten anything done yet!"

"And whose fault is that, Kid ADHD?" Robin shot back.

"I put _some_ stuff away," Wally mumbled halfheartedly. He'd let distractibility take the blame. He didn't think Robin would like the 'I was just wasting time to keep you over longer' reason, even though it was true.

"You mean _I _got some of it done. You've barely put two things away this whole time. You're not gonna be able to find any of your stuff if I do all the organizing for you, you know."

Wally shrugged. "You'll probably be over all the time anyway. If I can't find something, I'll just ask you where you put it."

"Why would I want to hang out here all the time? _I've_ got a girlfriend, unlike some people."

Wally heard the telltale coldness creeping into Robin's voice—that warning for him to back off because he was somehow dangerously close to overstepping Robin's "friend boundary."

"I know you do, you poor soul," he said sympathetically. "But don't let it get to you. Some people can only handle 'em one at a time."

Robin rolled his eyes and went back to sorting. Wally allowed himself to relax again. Thank goodness for good old humor. It never failed to protect them from awkwardness.

~o*O*o~

Artemis glared at Wally as he flicked pieces of popcorn at her. "_Stop it_," she hissed. He grinned and turned his eyes back to the movie. Artemis looked back at the screen as well, thinking that was the end of it. But a few minutes later, a light tap at her temple and a faint buttery smell told her he was back to flicking popcorn. Barely taking her eyes off the screen, she reached over M'gann and punched him in the leg as hard as she could. Wally yelped and rubbed his leg furiously.

"_Shhhh!"_

Wally snapped his mouth shut, grudgingly swallowing whatever insult he was about to throw at Artemis. Instead he made faces at her, and she glared back fiercely. M'gann looked back and forth between them, obviously uncomfortable in the line of fire. She finally got up off the couch to seek refuge next to Superboy on the floor.

Wally immediately swung his legs up onto the couch, taking over the open space before Artemis could. She just rolled her eyes. And then, probably because her reaction wasn't satisfying enough, he stretched his legs out over her lap. Artemis shoved him off roughly. "Just sit still and watch the movie!" she snapped.

"_SHHHHH!"_

Artemis wanted to beat Wally over the head when he smiled at her like that. It was the smile that said he was being a brat and he _knew_ it. She really hoped that Robin wouldn't be gone long this time. Whenever he was off on a mission with Batman or out with a girl or something, Artemis had to bear the full brunt of Wally's obnoxious, attention-seeking behavior. And he was an expert at annoying Artemis in such a way that she was forced to retaliate.

"Wait, can we pause?"

Artemis gave Wally her most exasperated look as Kaldur paused the movie. "What is it _now_?"

"I need more popcorn," he said innocently, gesturing towards the empty bowl.

"Wally, you ate that whole bowl already?" M'gann asked, half-appalled and half-concerned. It was hard to get used to the amount of food that boy ate.

"_No._ He threw half of it at _me_!" Artemis snapped. "He shouldn't get anymore."

"But—"

"Just hurry up," Superboy growled, cutting him off before his whine could reach full-pitch.

"Hey, don't gotta tell me, man." He was off in the kitchen starting up the microwave a split second later.

Artemis eyed his spot on the couch. It would be really childish of her to do it. But it _would_ make her feel better. Anyway, Wally was obviously dying for some sort of attention, and from experience Artemis knew he wouldn't stop with the needy behavior until he tired himself out or Robin came back. She wrestled with her thoughts for just a second more, before finally bringing her legs up onto the couch and lying full-length across the cushions.

Just as she had expected, there was an all-out fight when Wally returned with the popcorn. As she sat ten minutes later with only one-third of the couch to herself and another half bowl of popcorn in her lap, she wondered why she kept letting Wally drag her into these things.

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><p>(1) I swear I didn't make up this character! She's some random girl from Dick's school in Robin: Year One that he has a thing with. Don't worry, I don't plan on giving her a personality or anything. You can just think of her as a prop for the story XD<p> 


	2. Lower Your Guard

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews/favs! And lots of love to those of you faithful reviewers who continue to read and comment on all my stories. You make me so happy :D Also, I forgot to put this in the first chapter, but a very special thanks to Nelohra, without whom this story would have never been posted 3  
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**For Context: Any time you see long chunks of italics in this fic, it means something from ROBIN's memories. I'll give you an approximation of their age for each memory so it doesn't get confusing :P For the memory in this chapter, Robin is 12 and Wally is 14.  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc.**

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><p>Bruises<p>

Chapter 2: Lower Your Guard

_End of May_

Wally didn't know what to think when he found Robin standing outside his door.

"So here's my awesome plan," Robin said, pushing past him into his apartment and tossing his duffle bag onto the couch. "I stay here for the summer, and you and I do nothing but chill all day and have the best break ever." He flopped down next to his bag on the couch and grinned up at his friend mischievously. "What do you think?"

The first thought that popped into Wally's head was a very angry, very deadly Batman hunting him down. "Um… What did Batman say?"

Robin shrugged. "He didn't like the 'do nothing but chill' part of my amazing plan. He said I gotta take an online class or something at least. You know, 'Idle hands are the devil's workshop' or whatever."

"But he's cool with you staying here?" Wally asked incredulously. It had always seemed like Batman thought very little of him. He'd give Wally this look sometimes like he was thinking 'you are the most irresponsible, incompetent human being on the face of the earth, and I can't believe I trust you within ten feet of my ward.'

"Yeah, well, to be honest it's getting a little _cramped_ in the Batcave these days. We could probably both use some time apart."

"Trial separation?" Wally teased.

"Something like that."

Wally shifted uncomfortably at the unexpectedly serious answer. Robin and Batman had their disagreements, but it was usually on the level of "why can't I come with you on that life-threatening mission?" and they generally were good at patching things up. Wally hadn't known them to argue seriously before. "Um… do you want to talk about it?" he ventured.

Robin flopped over sidewise and buried his face in his duffle bag. "No…" he mumbled sullenly. His posture coupled with the fire engine red of his too-large shirt made him looked like he was 11 again, pouting because Batman was working a case without him. Wally almost laughed.

Instead, he sat down on the edge of the couch and patted the younger boy on the head comfortingly. "There, there. A couple of months playing video games all day long and killing off brain cells and you'll feel right as rain."

The younger boy curled his frame around him slightly, knees brushing against Wally's hip. "Mmm…That's the idea."

Wally slid his hand down to rest at the curve of Robin's neck, running his thumb over the skin behind his ear. He heard Robin sigh into the cloth of his bag. Wally wondered how an intimate touch like this could be okay sometimes, but an innocent-sounding remark could get his head bitten off. Staying within the lines of friendship would be a lot easier if Robin would stop changing the rules.

"Ready to let me cheer you up yet?"

"No."

"Come on, I've got a _really cool_ surprise," he coaxed.

"…Okay."

~o*O*o~

_So here he was with Barry and Wally, hanging behind some parked cars, waiting for the lamest villain ever to come out of a bank. Not really how he had expected to spend his Saturday afternoon._

_But Bruce was off working __**another**__ big case that Dick was ordered to stay out of. And so Wally had come up with this 'great' idea to bring Dick over to help with some Central City crime as a way to cheer him up. So, of course, Wally had begged Barry who had in turn begged Bruce, and here they were about to face down the 'notorious' Captain Cold. Dick snorted to himself. These Flash guys had no idea how easy they had it._

_Dick sat on the ground and pulled up his computer screen out of boredom. Wally, who seemed to sense his friend was not having as much fun as he had hoped he would, turned to Barry._

"_Are we ever going in?"_

"_Just relax, kid. He'll come out eventually."_

"_But—"_

"_Cold's got a lot of guys in there with him. And it's a small space. No room to move, you know? It'd be harder to regroup if we got separated."_

_Wally fell silent._

_Dick had to applaud Barry's Wally-deflecting skills. Getting separated was exactly the kind of thing that worried the older boy. It had a lot to do with that weird jealous thing he had about people. Dick thought of his first encounter with Barry and Wally together. Dick had already known Barry through Bruce, but Wally apparently didn't like him being on such good terms with his uncle. He had scowled at Dick the whole time they were together, attaching himself to Barry like a leach and making faces at Robin behind his uncle's back._

_At first Dick had thought Wally's jealously was ridiculous and childish. But now that he was inside Wally's circle, he kind of appreciated Wally's possessiveness and the fierce protection and loyalty that came with it. And it was amusing to see how these traits were playing out now. Wally was completely torn between defending his pride and keeping Dick and Barry safe and close._

"_So much for Central's 'cool' villains," Dick muttered, loud enough for Wally to hear. Sometimes picking fights with Wally was just as fun as picking fights with the bad guys._

"_Hey, our villains __**are**__ cool! It's just…not everyone can appreciate them. They're __**esoteric**__!"_

"_Which is another way of saying 'they're lame.' And why do you keep using that word? That's like the tenth time you've said it today!"_

"_You're just jealous of my __**expansive**__ vocabulary."_

"_Stop using random big words!"_

"_Hey, kids," Barry cut in suddenly. "You two here for a play date or what? Come on, it's show time!"_

_The two boys dropped their argument abruptly. Dick leapt to his feet and surveyed the bank entrance where Captain Cold and his goons were currently filing out onto the street. A sudden blur of red amongst the group of villains told Dick that Barry was already deep in the fray, and Dick quickly leapt over the car to dive in himself, determined not to be left behind. He noted that Wally arrived a split-second after he did—something he'd have to remember to rub in his face later._

_Just as he suspected, these guys were nothing like the rough criminals of Gotham. Too easy, Dick thought as he vaulted over one man's shoulders to drive is foot into another guy's face. This would be over in no time._

_Dick twisted and threw himself sideways, sensing the gun before he actually saw it. The blast of cold caught him on the shoulder, and his skin erupted in pain before a frightening numbness took over. _

_Hands were grabbing him suddenly._

"_Rob! Rob, are you okay?"_

"_I'm __**fine**__, KF." He swatted at Wally's hands and tried to turn away nonchalantly, briefly deluding himself into thinking that he could cover up the injury. So much for second-rate villains… No wonder Bruce was always warning him not to get too cocky. A blow to the pride was much more painful than a physical injury._

"_But, your arm's all…"_

"_Let me see it." Barry suddenly appeared behind Wally, dusting off his hands. Dick could see the unconscious body of Captain Cold lying on the ground behind him, piled up with the rest of his goons. These Flash guys really __**were**__ fast._

"_Wally, would you let the kid __**breathe**__ for a second? I promise he'll be okay."_

_Wally reluctantly stepped away from him. But he bounced on his toes and bit his lip nervously as Barry reached for Dick's shoulder._

_The frozen skin instantly warmed under the heat generated by the molecules vibrating in Barry's hand. A prickling, burning sensation told him he was regaining feeling in his shoulder. He winced a little. Wally jumped and grabbed onto the edge of his cape nervously._

"_How's that?" Barry asked, pulling his hand away._

_Dick rotated his shoulder experimentally. Everything seemed to be working fine, and the pain was slowly dissipating. "Better." Wally let out a breath._

_He was still a little embarrassed about the whole thing, but at least Bruce wasn't…. Oh. Crap. "You're not going to tell Batman, are you?" he asked Barry nervously._

"_You kidding? He'd kill me for letting it happen. Besides, the big guy's never taken Central villains too seriously himself. Same thing could've happened to him."_

_Dick exchanged a grin with Wally at the thought of Batman being out-maneuvered by a villain Flash could take down in two seconds._

_Wally let go of his cape to give him a rough pat on the back. "See? Told you this would be fun!"_

~o*O*o~

"So what is this great surprise you wanted to show me?"

"Sit," Wally commanded, shoving a bowl of popcorn in his friend's hands and pushing him towards the couch. Robin snorted at Wally's attempt to boss him but sat down anyway.

Wally pulled out an old video camera from his box of DVDs next to the TV. He made a big show of setting up the video. He hummed loudly as he carefully untangled the cords and searched behind the TV for where to plug in everything. He could feel Robin's annoyance mounting as he drew out the process as long as possible.

Finally finished, Wally casually made his way over to the couch and _slowly_ lowered himself onto the cushiony seat. He was about to finally start the video, when on impulse he lowered the remote and turned towards the younger boy, putting on his most serious expression. "Are you ready for this, Rob? I mean, are you _really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really_ read—"

Robin grabbed for the remote.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Wally conceded, holding the remote as far away as possible and planting his foot against Robin's chest to keep him from advancing any further. "Chill out! I'm starting it!"

A pale, round face, framed by messy dark hair appeared on the screen. It was a boy no older than 10 or 11. He touched his domino mask self-consciously before training his face into a very serious expression.

"What is _that?_" Robin was staring at the image with a look of pure horror. "Why do you have a video of _me_?"

"Shhhhh!"

"_Remember boys and girls,"_ squeaked the young Robin in as dignified a manner as he could manage, _"don't try this at home. We are trained professionals."_ Here he glanced at something off-screen. _"Or at least one of us is."_

"Could your voice get any higher?"

Robin's face flushed. "Shut up!"

"_Robin! I told you not to tape yet! I need a practice run!"_ The camera swung and focused on a very young, awkward-looking redhead.

"_You don't need practice. It's easy!"_ came young Robin's voice off-screen.

Young Wally looked at the device in his hand skeptically.

"Wait isn't that my—"

"_All you have to do is—Wait, hold on."_ The camera moved back, and they could now see the whole scene clearly. Young Wally was standing at the top of the bleachers in a large gym, holding Robin's grappling gun. _"Shoot it at that big beam up there_." The camera pointed at the ceiling. _"And just swing over to the other side_." The image arced over to focus on another set of bleachers across the court before swinging back to young Wally's apprehensive face. _"Got it?"_

"KF, was this your school?"

"Yeah. Remember you picked the locks?"

"Oh right. And you kept screaming cause you thought someone was coming."

"I wasn't _screaming._"

"Yeah, you were. Like a little girl."

"_Why can't I practice first?"_ young Wally's voice whined.

"_Just shoot already, KF!"_

"_Okay, okay!"_ Young Wally aimed carefully. His finger tensed on the trigger briefly before he dropped his arm. _"But what if—"_

"_Gimme that!"_ There was a sickening swirl of colors and sounds as the camera moved. When the image finally stilled again, young Wally was holding the gun out with the rope extending up, seemingly hooked securely onto the ceiling beam above.

"_Are you sure it's going to hold me?"_

"_YES. Now GO."_

Robin and Wally both tensed up as they watched Wally's younger self squeeze his eyes shut and leap off the bleachers.

The camera followed his arc high above the court. He reached the top of his swing at the other side, but he held on tight and swung back again.

The camera was shaking, as young Robin cracked up. _"Wally, you have to __**let go**__!"_

"_I caaaaan't!"_ young Wally cried, his voice getting smaller as he swung away again.

Young Robin laughed even harder.

"_Robin, get me down!"_

"_And that, boys and girls, is the _wrong_ way to use a grappling gun."_

"_When I get down, I'm gonna kill you, Rob! I swear!"_

"_I'm keeping this video forever. I'm gonna show this to my grandkids. I'm gonna show it to __**your**__ grandkids."_

"Remind me why we did this again."

Wally laughed. "I dunno. For fun?"

"Didn't we film like a bunch of these stupid tricks too?"

"Yeah, they're all on this tape. My favorite was the one where you did that trust fall thing so I could see how many laps I could run around the room before I caught you."

"Oh yeah. I remember the lump on my head after that one."

"It was in a weird spot too…" Wally touched the younger boy's head a few inches behind his right temple where he could still picture the injury. Wally remembered how noticeable it was, and how Batman looked murderous after he had seen it.

Robin knocked his hand away. "Look. This is the one at the pool." Wally turned back towards the screen reluctantly.

It was strange to watch their interactions from this perspective. They seemed so relaxed around each other and so comfortable in their friendship. Everything about them was in sync—the way they traded insults, the way they moved around each other. Wally wondered if they still looked like that. Or was it apparent to everyone that something had become awkward and strained between them?

Robin leaned on him, weak and shaking with laughter as he watched the video. And in that moment Wally could believe that nothing had ever changed. They were still those young boys, arguing and laughing together and enjoying each other's company without having to think about what it meant.

"I can't believe we were so stupid back then," Robin said as the video ended. "Especially you with the… haha… grappling gun… hahaha… you just _held on_!" He collapsed into a fit of giggles.

Wally felt himself grinning so wide his cheeks hurt. "Well that was when I was little."

"Yeah, like you could do it now."

"Dude, I totally could."

"You sure about that?"

There was a brightness in Robin's eyes that sent shivers down Wally's spine—that glint that was both a challenge and an invitation_._

"Yeah." He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned forward, matching the younger boy's energy. When it came to stupid, suicidal feats Robin was king, but Wally liked to think he could keep up sometimes.

Robin's lips curved into a wicked little smile, and his slim fingers closed around Wally's wrist. Adrenaline coursed through him as the younger boy pulled him towards the back window. He followed his friend out onto the fire escape, heart pounding with excitement.

Wally stared at the grappling gun Robin placed into his hand, faded memories of bleachers and his school at night clamoring to the front of his mind.

"Want me to carry you across?" Robin joked, taking Wally's silence as hesitancy.

"Shut it, Grayson." He took quick aim and fired. It attached to the scaffolding of the fire escape on the building next door. He climbed up onto the railing, carefully holding onto the ladder next to him. The distance between the two buildings wasn't far—maybe 8 feet or so. It was much smaller than the distance across an entire basketball court. But they were 6 floors up, and Wally felt dizzy as he saw the ground far below.

Robin climbed up next to him, balancing on the thin railing with an ease and grace Wally could never achieve. The wind was cold, and Wally shuddered at the contrasting warmth of Robin's hand on his back.

"Remember to let go this time."

Wally grinned, all nervousness gone. When he felt the slight pressure of Robin's fingers against his spine, he jumped.

For a terrifyingly wonderful moment, he felt weightless and free, watching the ground moving far beneath him—no longer having any power over him.

Then there was the painful landing on the other side. Wally knocked his elbow sharply against the railing as he grasped for something to hold onto. The cold, hard metal biting into his spine was the first indication he had that he wasn't about to fall to his death. Once he had confirmed that he was alive and relatively unharmed, he clambered to his feet and turned triumphantly towards Robin back on his own fire escape. But Robin was already moving.

In the darkness of the alley the young boy's form was a silent shadow. Wally could barely see him except for the occasional flash of pale skin illuminated by the faint streetlights. He climbed higher and higher, gliding up the scaffolding as like a snake slithering through the branches of a tree.

And then he leapt.

The world around him faded to the background Wally watched the lines of Robin's body arc and twist and stretch. Mid-air, Robin was in his element. That unrestrained passion, that reckless confidence that had always attracted Wally was painted against the sky in a bright streak of red.

He landed lightly next to Wally, face lit with a fierce joy dancing behind his eyes. Wally reached for him without thinking, as if the physical act were enough to keep the younger boy from flying back up into the sky and never returning.

"Told you it was easy." Robin's body was light and loose in his arms.

"Don't ever let me do that again."

Robin leaned into him slightly and Wally moved to tighten his hold on his friend. But the younger boy had already slipped away and was up on the railing again, grinning down at him. Wally ached at the sweetness of Robin's laugh and the brightness of his eyes. Even if it was just for these few months, Robin was _his_.


	3. KneeJerk

**Author's Note: Next chapter! Hope it doesn't move too slow D: I'm not in love with this part, but hopefully you guys will enjoy it!  
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**For Context: In Robin's memory, Wally is 13 and Robin is 11.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc.**

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><p>Bruises<p>

Chapter 3: Knee-Jerk

"Robin and KF's Epic Summer of Time Wasting," Wally read aloud. He quickly scanned the carefully crafted list, shaking his head. "No, no, this won't do at all. 'four hours of TV _and/or _video games'? Watching television and playing video games are both very precise, very distinct art forms and must be given due care and attention. It has to be _at the very least_ five hours a day for _each_ activity."

Robin considered this carefully. "Okay, five hours of TV and five hours of video games is ten hours total every day. When will we have time for the movies?"

"You're right. Better switch off between TV and movies every other day."

"Good idea. Hey, what've you got so far for our pointless games list?"

Wally shoved a crinkled piece of paper into the younger boys hands.

" 'Paper football, I spy, marbles, pogs, go fish, war, tag, freeze tag, flashlight tag, jungle gym tag…' Okay, first off, too many tags. Second, just to clarify, you're eighteen years old, not five. You know, in case you forgot."

"Hey, you wanted pointless games, that's what you get."

"And '_quidditch_.' Okay. Wow, that one's written _really _big… With lots of exclamation marks…"

"That one was my best idea." Wally flashed the younger boy a charming smile.

"A magical game involving a bunch of guys playing with _broomsticks_ is his best idea," he mumbled to himself, turning back to the list.

Wally just grinned and leaned against Robin's shoulder a little. He couldn't have asked for a better summer. Hanging out with Robin all day and all night. He felt like they were in their own little world with no Jennys for Robin to run off to, no girls for Wally to chase after for blind distraction, and no labels of "friends" or "lovers" to restrict them; it was just the two of them. And he was very content to stay like this forever.

Wally tapped his pen idly against his leg, thinking about what they'd do tomorrow. His heart did a funny little skip when Robin shifted his body slightly so that Wally could lean more fully against him. Warm breath tickled his ear and dark hair brushed lightly against his cheek as Robin bent his head to write something.

Both boys jumped at the sound of a knock at the door. "Isn't it like 10 at night?" Wally complained as he stood to answer the door. "Who is—oh."

" '_Oh_?' What kind of a greeting is that?" Artemis grumbled, shoving passed him into his apartment. Wally let her pass as his mind struggled to figure out why she was there. "Don't tell me you're still mad that I beat you last—"

She stopped short. "Hey. Didn't know you'd be here, Robin."

"Yeah, um, I'm actually staying here. With Wally." He ducked his head awkwardly. Wally thought he looked strangely self-conscious.

"Rob's gonna be my roommate for the summer," Wally supplied happily.

"Sounds fun. What card games do you know?"

Robin gave her a blank look.

"Artemis and I play cards every week," Wally explained. Then he added a little more quietly, "She's like a gambling addict. Seriously."

Artemis pinched him sharply on the arm, as she spoke pleasantly to Robin. "We usually play Fridays. But we had to move last week's to tonight."

Oh _that's_ why he was so thrown off. "Wait, we switched nights?"

She gave him an annoyed look. "You don't remember calling me last week, begging me to change to another night cause some girl had invited you back to her place and—"

"Right! Okay! Good, now we can play tonight so it's fine!" he rambled, voice too loud. "I'll go get the table!" He slipped past Robin towards the closet, carefully avoiding the younger boy's gaze. He really didn't want Robin hearing about that part of his life. There were just too many girls, too many meaningless nights. It made him look… lonely. When he thought of how pathetic he must seem to Robin, it just made him sick. As an unspoken rule, neither of them ever brought up the subject of Wally's love life… If you could call it that.

"So, Robin, wanna join in?" he heard Artemis asking as he wrestled with the card table in the closet. "We'll even go easy on you since you're a newbie."

"Thanks, but I'm actually supposed to meet Jenny soon."

The table slipped from Wally's hands and hit the ground with a loud bang. Ignoring the sound, Wally stuck his head out of the closet and demanded, "You are?"

"Yeah. I didn't tell you?" There was something very calculated about the question and the steady blue gaze accompanying it.

Wally ducked back into the closet to escape the eyes examining him so carefully. "Have fun."

"Thanks." Footsteps moving towards the door. "I'll see you guys later." The click of the door opening and shutting again.

Wally dragged the table out and violently kicked the closet door closed behind him.

Artemis flopped down on the couch to watch him struggle. "So Robin's staying here, huh?"

"Yup."

"Hmmm."

He narrowed his eyes at the archer. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I didn't say anything."

"But you made a noise like you disapproved."

"You're imagining things."

"No, I'm not—"

"Just hurry up and get that thing set up already," Artemis cut in. "For Kid _Flash_ you really are slow."

~o*O*o~

_Beginning of June_

Wally was bored. Really, really, really _bored_.

Somehow awkwardness had crept back into his and Robin's friendship, and it was taking a very long time to leave. Robin had spent the last few days either out with Jenny or working on his laptop. Tonight was no different. He had holed himself up in Wally's room, claiming that he had to work on a 'project' for class**. **No Robin and no mission. It's no wonder he was bored to death. It had gotten so bad that he had lost the will to even _attempt_ to find something entertaining to do.

Maybe he'd just go to sleep. He could think of something to do tomorrow…

Robin was still at his desk, typing away on his laptop. He barely glanced up when Wally entered the room.

"Um… I'm gonna go to sleep. But you can stay here and work if you want," Wally said awkwardly.

"Thanks." Robin's eyes remained fixed on his laptop screen.

Wally flopped onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling for a while, knowing sleep wouldn't come easily to him. Generally, he would pass out right when his head touched the pillow, even if there were lights on or people talking. But Robin's presence was like a little gleam in the corner of his eye that kept drawing his gaze. He couldn't believe the younger boy was refusing to look at him. Childish.

He snorted to himself and flipped over to face the wall. Now all Robin could see was his back. _HA! _Now who's ignoring who?

Wally peaked over his shoulder to study the younger boy's hunched back. How could Robin just pretend he wasn't there? They were in the _same room! _He squirmed around a bit and flopped onto his stomach, his back, his side again. The noise of the rustling sheets didn't seem to faze Robin in the slightest.

Wally's patience ran out. He crept quietly over to his desk and leaned over Robin's shoulder to look at his laptop screen. Robin's fingers were a blur as they flew across the keyboard.

"Why do you do so much homework anyway?"

"Some of us actually care about doing well in school, you know," Robin answered stiffly.

"But you're just taking online classes! That's not even real school. You shouldn't have to do homework."

"Well, I do."

Wally didn't say anything for a while. It was probably better to just leave Robin alone right now. But he decided that he preferred Robin being mad at him over Robin ignoring him, so he continued to hover behind the younger boy's chair, waiting for a response.

Robin's fingers stilled. "Will you just go to sleep already?"

"But I'm booooored." He leaned on the younger boy's back. Robin stabbed the delete button furiously.

"Go read a book."

"I don't like books."

"Watch TV."

"Nothing good on."

"Do homework."

"It's _summer_."

"Just. Go. To. Sleep," Robin growled out, each word emphasized by a savage hit of the delete button.

He leaned his head against Robin's temple with a pout. "I don't wanna."

"And here I thought it was _easy_ to get you into bed!" he snapped.

Well, there it was. Wally had poked the sleeping bear and gotten his head bit off. Even though he expected it, the remark still stung. Mostly because he knew Robin had intended the comment to be every bit as vicious as it sounded.

"Grow a pair of tits, then maybe you'll find it easier," Wally retorted, forcing his tone to be light and joking.

Robin said nothing.

Feeling a little like a deflating balloon, Wally slunk back to his bed. His pillow smelled like perfume. He flipped it over. The other side smelled the same. He chucked it across the room angrily and glared at his wall as if it were the most hated thing on earth.

Wally had been determined to lie there in angry silence for a while, but he must've drifted off at some point. When he opened his eyes, his room was dark except for the soft glow from Robin's laptop. He turned his head into the pillow and caught a familiar scent. Robin's scent. Robin's pillow. The younger boy must've slipped it under his head while he was sleeping.

Wally buried his face in the pillow and inhaled deeply. He fell asleep to the light, quick tapping of Robin's fingers on the keyboard.

~o*O*o~

_Dick smoothed his hand down his friend's back, looking up at Bruce with an expression that pleaded for guidance. Ever since he had turned 13 a couple of weeks ago, Wally had been strutting around like a king surveying his kingdom. But now he was small and shaking in Robin's arms like a leaf._

"_I'm calling Barry." Bruce turned and walked briskly towards the communication screen._

_Dick sighed. He should've known. Bruce didn't know what to do. Sure, he'd been thrown into violence at an early age as well, but he was grown up now. He only knew how to deal with death and disturbance the way an adult did. The mind of a child and the loss of innocence were too far away for him to remember now._

_But Dick still remembered. Watching his parents' death, his first encounter with Two Face, all those times people had died because of mistakes he had made. And, of course, the first time he had faced the Joker—the same nightmare Wally had experienced tonight._

"_Bruce," he called out._

_His mentor did not turn from the computer, but the slight angling of his head told Dick he was listening._

"_He should stay here."_

"_No. He needs to go home."_

_Dick had dealt with the terrors of the job all on his own, but Wally was different. He had to have people around him; he hated to be alone._

"_I don't want him to be by himself."_

"_He won't. He'll have Barry."_

_But Barry was and adult too. And though he did good work in Central, he had never faced a villain like the Joker._

"_It's okay, Rob," Wally said, straightening at little. "I can go home."_

_But even as the older boy tried to pull away, the hands gripping Dick's arms tightened._

"_Bruce, __**please**__." He gave his voice that special inflection he knew Bruce would recognize—the one that always got his adopted father to let him escape from boring charity events to go on patrol or to bring him along when facing villains Bruce thought too dangerous for him._

_Bruce sighed, and Dick knew he'd won. "Just this once."_

"_I know, I know."_

_Dick took Wally's wrist and began pulling him towards the stairs. "Come on, KF. I'll show you my room. It's __**huge**__."_

_Wally trailed after him reluctantly, a slight but distinct tremble still in his hands. But all hesitancy left him when they passed through the Batcave entrance and back into the main hall of Wayne Manor. He stopped and stared with his mouth open._

"_Are you guys rich or something?"_

_Dick laughed. "Well, we have a wealthy benefactor."_

"_Who? The President?"_

"_Close." He tugged on the older boy's sleeve. "Come on. This way!"_

_He bounded up the stairs. Despite the grim events of the evening, excitement was growing in him at the prospect of finally showing Wally around the Manor. He'd been dying to have his friend over for a long time now, and even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances, he was happy to finally have the opportunity._

_Wally followed him very slowly, taking in all the expensive paintings on the walls, the rich carpeting, and the polished wood._

"_Come on! Come on!" Dick doubled back, so he could urge Wally up the stairs. "Aren't you supposed to be the fastest kid in the world or something?"_

"_Well, excuse me for not being used to living in a __**mansion**__!"_

_Dick grinned and pulled on his arm. "You can gawk later. Come on! We gotta get some fun in before Alfred makes us go to sleep."_

"_Who's Alfred?"_

"_Our butler."_

"_You've gotta be kidding me!"_

_Wally wanted to explore every inch of his room. He turned the TV on and off, opened every drawer he could find, darted in and out of the closet a few times, and bounced on the bed. Dick indulged him. He told himself it was just to cheer Wally up, but a large part of him was also proud to show off. He always liked it when he could impress Wally._

"_What's that? AC?" Wally asked, pointing up at the vents on the ceiling._

"_It's a ventilation system. In case there's some sort of gas released. A lot of Gotham criminals use that kind of stuff. Like the Joker has this one gas that—" Wally cringed and he snapped his mouth shut, cursing his stupidity. Just when he was starting to get the older boy's mind off of things, he had to bring it up again._

_Wally flopped down on Dick's bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I guess you're used to dealing with this kind of stuff," he said quietly._

_Dick didn't disagree. The job meant different things to him and Wally. Dick and Bruce both had a personal investment in their war against crime due to the death of their parents at such young ages. When you're on a crusade, it's easy to accept and anticipate danger. But Wally was different. Crime fighting was just the natural thing for him to do once he had gained his powers. It was fun for him now. But the incident tonight made Dick wonder what would happen when the novelty wore off. _

"_I still get scared though," he admitted, trying to reassure his friend._

_Wally shuddered. "Don't say that," he begged. "Don't tell me you're scared too. You're __**never**__ scared."_

_Dick put his hand to the older boy's forehead, fingers smoothing over the worry lines—just like his mother used to do when he was upset as a child. "Of course I get scared. I just bounce back quickly."_

"_Yeah, you __**are**__ bouncy," Wally murmured, eyes drifting shut under Dick's touch. "You jumped right over the Joker's head. I thought you were wearing springs in your shoes or something."_

"_Hmm… that's not a bad idea actually." Dick stretched out on the bed, resting his head on the older boy's shoulder._

_Wally yawned next to him. His exhaustion was catching, and soon Dick found his eyes growing very tired._

"_I think I'm gonna fall asleep soon," Wally mumbled, sleep already creeping into his voice. "Which of the 50 million guest rooms in this place can I use?"_

_Dick did not like the idea of his pillow moving. "Forget it. Just stay here."_

"_Like with you? Both of us sleeping here?"_

"_Mmm. Bed's big enough."_

"_Are you sure that's… okay?"_

_Dick didn't see the big deal. They were both here already, and neither of them wanted to move anyway. A small part of him was insisting that there was something else behind Wally's words that he wasn't understanding. But Dick didn't feel the need to dwell on it. He just wanted to make Wally shut up so he could go to sleep already._

"_Yeah, it's fine. It'll be easier to protect each other this way, right?" _

_A shaken, anxious Wally could not argue with that. Dick drifted off, listening to the sound of Wally's breathing slowing._


	4. Respite

**Author's Note: Aaaaaaaagh sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up! (I haven't even replied to many of last chapter's reviews...). I have no good excuse. I've just been distracted by friends and good food. And Harry Potter XD (OMG. Anyone else feel like that last movie was a symbol of the end of their childhood? D:) Anyway, I know this chapter's a little short, but hopefully there's enough fluff in here to make up for it :) Enjoy it while it lasts. Drama is looming ahead... XD  
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**For Context: In Robin's memory, Wally is 14 and Robin is 12.  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc.**

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><p>Bruises<strong><br>**

Chapter 4: Respite

Wally cursed as he slipped for the hundredth time on another invisible rock. He wiped his muddy hands on his shorts moodily and kicked at the stupid, rocky ground. An impatient hand shoved at his lower back.

"What did you break a nail or something? Hurry up!"

Wally grunted and began to climb again. He groped blindly ahead of him for each new foothold. His fingers were stiff from gripping the muddy earth and his toes ached from stubbing them against rocks. "Why am I in the front any—HUGK!" Wally coughed and sputtered, swiping at the wisps of web clinging to his face. "I think I just swallowed a spider."

"_That's_ why you're up front."

At another jab from Robin, he continued upward. "We should've brought a flashlight!"

Robin laughed like the maniacal daredevil he was and asked, "Why would you bring a flashlight on a night hike?"

"Why would you _not_?"

"But it's no fun if you can see where you're going."

"You're insane! This is _whole thing_ is insane!" Yes, climbing a mountain in the middle of the night was really not a good idea. But Robin had wanted to go and, well, he'd never needed much convincing when it came to Robin. No matter how crazy the proposition. And he'd been so happy that Robin was comfortable around him again that he agreed without thinking. But after an hour of stumbling in the dark and running into invisible spider webs Wally was definitely regretting his decision.

"How much further is it?"

"We're almost to the top," Robin said. "Told you it's an easy hike."

"Yeah, during the _day_. OW! Dammit!" He rubbed his sore knee where he had fallen.

"You're taking too long," Robin complained. His chest brushed against Wally's back as he moved in close. "Just follow me."

Wally automatically grabbed onto Robin's shirt as the younger boy slid past, too used to his teammate's disappearing act.

It was even harder like with Robin in front. The younger boy practically sprinted up the mountain. He leapt from rock to rock, using footholds that Wally swore didn't exist. It was like he was using some invisible, magic staircase that only he could see. After a while, Wally was sure Robin was doing it on purpose. The stupid showoff. Wally clung onto the tail of the younger boy's shirt like a lifeline. That kid could show off all he wanted. As he long he didn't disappear Wally could care less. He just needed to concentrate on stepping where Robin stepped so that he wouldn't fall off a cliff and die.

Wally didn't know how long the two of them climbed. He knew nothing beyond the fabric of Robin's shirt and the treacherous pathway slithering up the mountain like black ribbon.

Wally stumbled a little, and his hands were suddenly empty. A surge of panic hit him. He whirled around, straining his eyes to see through the darkness. His heartbeat was loud in the sudden quiet of the night. He fought to keep his voice even as he called out, "Um, Rob?"

"Up here."

Melting with relief, Wally hurried towards the voice ahead of him. "Dude, what—"

"Ledge! _LEDGE_!" Robin's hands were gripping his shoulders and jerking him backwards.

Wally's stomach churned sickeningly as he saw the sharp drop-off before him. "_Shit, _Robin! Could've used that warning a little _sooner_."

"Sorry, man," Robin laughed. His fingers were digging into Wally's shoulders painfully. "Thought you were paying attention."

"I _was._ I just couldn't see without a _flashlight_."

"You don't need a flashlight for this view."

Wally turned his gaze to the thousands of city lights winking at them below—bright flecks of gold nestled amongst velvet blackness. He had to admit, it _was_ a nice view.

Robin tugged on his arm, and he sat down on the ground as the younger boy stretched out next to him.

An awkward silence settled between them. Wally scooped up some pebbles and began tossing them off the edge. He listened to them bounce off rocks on the way down, feeling himself grow more and more uncomfortable with every light tap. When he ran out of pebbles, he pulled up blades of grass from the earth and shredded them with his fingers.

"So…" he began, clearing his throat. "What now?"

"I dunno." Robin's hand brushed his knee as if to reassure him. And Wally remembered that he didn't have to try to so hard. Because it was just Robin.

"Do you know any constellations?" The younger boy asked.

"A few, I guess."

"I used to know a bunch when I was little."

"Of course you did. I swear you have the weirdest, most random talents of anyone I've ever met."

Robin laughed. "It wasn't a _talent_ exactly. Stargazing was just one of those things everyone in the troupe did. We'd even make up new ones together…"

Wally glanced down at the faint outline of his friend's face. It was always nice to hear Robin talk about his life before being taken in by Batman. It was a rare sign of trust and intimacy. And an indication that things were finally back to normal between the two of them.

"There's Orion," Robin pointed out. "And the Big Dipper."

"Everyone knows those."

"Is that one Cassiopeia?"

"No idea, man."

"Guess I don't remember as many as I thought."

There was a sad note to Robin's voice that Wally didn't like. He lay down next to the younger boy, their shoulders touching. "Remember any of the ones you made up?"

"I don't know."

"Heh. You know what that one looks like?"

"Please don't tell me."

"A giant pair of boo—"

"Oh shut up." But Robin was laughing. And to Wally that was worth sounding like an idiot a million times over.

~o*O*o~

"_It's raining."_

"_Thanks for the weather report, Boy Wonder."_

_Dick flicked the older boy's hand as he reached for a card. "You're just sour cause you're losing."_

"_We haven't even finished the hand yet."_

"_Well you're __**going **__to lose. It's a preemptive sourness."_

"_That doesn't make any sense."_

"_Yes it does." He showed his hand smugly. "Gin."_

"_Whaaaat?" Wally threw his cards on top of the stack vehemently. "That's like the tenth time in a row!"_

"_Hey, you're the one that wanted to play cards."_

"_Yeah but I mean an __**easier**__ game. Like Speed. We should play Speed."_

"_You just wanna play that one cause you think you'll win," Robin laughed._

"_Oh I'll definitely win."_

"_Yeah? We'll see about that. You deal."_

_Dick sat back and closed his eyes as Wally dealt the cards. They were sitting on Wally's porch, and the smell of clear, fresh rain filled the air around them. Gotham's rain was so different from this. It was grimy and dirty, flooding storms drains and dredging up all manner of filth from the depths of the city. Even the criminals tended to avoid Gotham's rain. But at Wally's house, the rain was clean and invigorating. Everything seemed to glow when there was a light mist in Central City._

_Dick was startled from his revelry by a cry of distress. "What? What happened?"_

"_I dropped a card," the older boy whined, pointing at a gap in the floorboards with a devastated look._

"_Oh. You mean…"_

"_Yup." Wally flopped onto his back. "It's gone forever. Lost in that black hole under my porch."_

"_Well, we could just use a joker instead."_

"_I'm __**tired **__of playing cards. We should've gone to your house. And played video games on your giant TV."_

"_I like your house."_

"_**Why**__? It's so __**boring**__ here."_

"_I dunno. It's…relaxing."_

"_How is my house more relaxing than yours? You've got a butler who does everything for you."_

_Wally was spreading the cards around on the floor moodily. Dick could clearly see the filthy bottoms of his feet and the dirt on his clothes from rolling around on the porch. Wally's mom would have a fit when he came inside._

_Dick felt his lips curve into a smile. He stretched out next to his friend and closed his eyes again. "Not sure. It just __**is**__. That's all."_

~o*O*o~

Wally bolted straight up, awakened by the panic that comes with sleeping in an unfamiliar place. He took in the smell of earth and rain, the cool breeze, and the rock sticking into his back. Holy crap, he was outside! He groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He and Robin must've fallen asleep at the top of the hike. It was still pitch-black, but his phone told him the sunrise wasn't far away. They'd been out for a while.

Next to him, Robin was sleeping curled up on his side. Wally patted his head. It had rained a little while they were asleep, and Robin's hair was damp and stuck to his fingers.

"Rob, wake up."

Robin gave an annoyed sort of grunt and rolled over to press his face into Wally's side.

Wally shook his shoulders a little. "Come on, dude. We gotta go back."

"We can't." Robin's voice came out muffled through the fabric of Wally's shirt. "I'm sleeping."

"Right, of course you are." He sighed and checked his phone again. They really didn't _have_ to get back yet. It's not like they had parents waiting up for them anymore. And the thought of sleeping next to Robin a little longer was so very enticing…

He lay back down on his side so he could face the younger boy. It was definitely getting lighter, because Wally could make out the features on Robin's face and the mud smeared across his cheek. The temptation to wrap his arms around his friend and pull him close was nearly overwhelming. Heart in his throat, Wally shifted towards the younger boy. One of Robin's arms was tucked against his chest, and Wally moved forward until he felt an elbow brush against his stomach. He treated that arm like it was a line drawn between the two of them—the "friend" line. It was okay to give in a little, so long as he stayed behind that line.

But Robin ruined his carefully laid self-boundary. The younger boy moved his arm to drape across Wally's waist and bent his head to rest against the older boy's chest. Wally could feel his entire face heating up. He was sure Robin could hear his heart pounding a mile a minute. His instincts were talking again, and telling him to get closer, that he wanted _more_. But he clamped down on them. He had to keep his desires in check. For Robin's sake, he had to be content with what they had.


	5. Collision

**Author's Note: OMG. I cannot believe how long this chapter took me. Sorry about that, guys. But it was so difficult for me to write. Mostly because I wanted to get it just right. I'm still not entirely happy with it. But I figured after 5 or 6 total rewrites, it was time for me to let this one go before I overworked it XD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it! And as always, thanks for all the fantabulous reviews! Words cannot express how excited I am to see how many people read and like this story :D **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc.**

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><p>Bruises<strong><br>**

Chapter 5: Collision

_End of June_

"ARG! ROBIN!" Wally's mouth tasted like a dishrag. He wiped at the soap bubbles on his face and spat out dirty water as he tried to get over the shock. Wally had been innocently standing at the sink, doing dishes like a good boy, congratulating himself for actually mustering up the willpower to do a little cleaning, when Robin had sidled up to him all sneaky-like and shoved a huge scoop of dirty soap bubbles in Wally's face. It was a declaration of war if Wally had ever seen one.

A mischievous cackle lilted into the kitchen from the next room. That little _brat._

Wally tore out into the living room, his feet half-slipping on the wooden floor. Robin was grinning at him from behind the couch.

"What are you smiling about, Grayson?" Wally growled. "You're half a second away from a horrific death, you know."

"That's assuming that you catch me—"

Wally leapt over the couch and snatched at the younger boy's arm.

"Gotcha—hey!" Robin twisted easily out of his grasp, and the momentum caused Wally to pitch forward onto his face. He leapt back to his feet and lunged at Robin again, only to be met with the same result. Robin giggled like a little kid as Wally rubbed his sore nose. His speed never gave him much of an advantage against Robin. The younger boy was just so damn clever about everything. No one else could move like that—slipping out of your grasp as easily as water through fingertips. And all with that eerily alluring laugh of his.

Wally paused to observe his opponent and strategize. He was surprised to find himself breathing hard. Robin was watching him carefully from across the room, eyes alert and gleaming with mischief. Wally took a slow, experimental step to gauge Robin's reaction. But he completely forgot what was he doing when he saw the way Robin tensed as he prepared to dodge. The summer heat had forced the younger boy into wearing a tank top and shorts, and Wally found himself with a very clear view of Robin's long limbs and the muscles shifting under his pale skin.

But even worse than the exposed flesh was the smile that Robin wore. He formed that small curve of the lips with such unconscious ease, as if he the joy he felt in that moment was more than he could contain. It was a smile that told Wally that everything at this moment was right, _perfect_. Wally's pulse thudded loudly in his ears.

"Giving up, KF?"

The words cut through him like scissors snipping a taught rubber band. He launched forward and tackled Robin to the ground.

Their game came to a sudden halt as Wally found himself tangled with Robin on the floor. The younger boy was breathless and laughing, his arms looped around Wally's neck. Robin had always careful about his identity, and he wore his separate personas like masks—layering one on top of the other and never intermingling the two. But right now it was both Robin and Dick laughing in his arms, completely open and trusting and not even thinking to hold any of himself back.

Wally kissed him.

It was gentle, so much more gentler than he wanted to be. Robin's arms tightened briefly around his neck before he pulled away. "KF…"

He was going to tell him to stop; Wally could hear it in the way he said his name. Wally refused to understand. He leaned back in to press his lips softly against Robin's jaw, pleading silently that the younger boy would allow him this one thing.

Robin's fingers were tight in his hair. "Wally, don't…" he murmured.

Wally slid his hand over Robin's hip and up his back as he opened his mouth against the skin on the younger boy's neck, sucking tentatively.

"_Stop_." Robin's voice was sharp as he yanked Wally's head back.

"Robin…" That selfish side of Wally was surging forward now, screaming that he was sick of hiding his feelings for Robin and sick of Robin pretending not to notice them. Wally wasn't used to sidestepping things or taking indirect approaches. He was straightforward by nature, and he'd played this roundabout game with Robin for too long. He wanted to know what Robin would do. He wanted to know how Robin would react if Wally dropped this entire pretense and just _took_ what he wanted.

Robin must've seen something in his eyes, because he set his jaw like he was facing an enemy and said, "I'm dating Jenny, stupid."

"_So?_" he demanded fiercely, Robin's guarded look hurting him deep.

Wally saw the meanness in the glint of Robin's eyes and the twist of his mouth before he spoke.

" '_So?_' So _she's_ the one I want, not y—"

"_Don't_." It was pure, instinctive self-preservation that made Wally grip the younger boy so hard.

Robin's eyes widened—the steeliness in his eyes melting into a nameless emotion. "_Let go._"

Wally wanted him to stop talking. All he heard in Robin's voice was anger and pain and all those things he never wanted the younger boy to feel. It made him sick with frustration. He shoved Robin onto his back and held his arms tight.

"Wally, _GET OFF!"_

Sharp anger and shrill panic harmonized in Robin's voice in a way that set Wally on edge. They were in danger right now. Both of them. And if Robin made any real effort to escape him, Wally knew the balance would tip and he would give into that fierce instinct to protect and force himself to back down.

But Robin didn't try to fight him. He trusted him too much for that. And Wally knew he didn't have the strength to hold back any longer.

Ignoring the younger boy's protests, he shoved his mouth roughly against Robin's like a challenge.

Their lips had barely touched when Robin flipped them sickening fast and clamped his hand around Wally's mouth so tight his jaw ached.

"I told you to _stop_!" Robin snarled. His eyes glittered with dark rage.

The words struck something deep within him—an old wound still gaping and tender. It wasn't that he was surprised to be rejected, but the ferocity of Robin's reaction caused a pain that felt like a physical blow. This was it. The consequence he had feared but never dared imagine. The tight, white fury in Robin's face that told him he had done something unforgivable.

Robin's eyes softened suddenly. Wally watched in amazement as the muscles around his mouth relaxed. He dropped his hand from Wally's jaw to rest lightly against his chest. The anger in his face dissipated and was replaced with a careful blankness. "Please don't make that face." It was phrased like a request, but the tone made it clear it was an order.

Wally was almost hesitant to question him. "What face?"

Robin turned his head away, directing his gaze to the floor next to Wally's shoulder. After a minute of silence, it was clear that he didn't plan to respond. In fact, the slight furrow in his brow and the glazed look in his eyes told Wally that Robin was thinking. Always thinking. Robin would mull over this confrontation until he came up with some grand new way of pretending it didn't happen, and Wally would be expected to follow along with the act. It would be laborious at first to remember to take his cues as Robin gave them, but they would eventually return to a comfortable level of friendship, slightly more forced and slightly less secure, but it would be a friendship nonetheless. Wally could see the whole thing playing out in Robin's face as he thought it through. It was so far from what Wally wanted.

"Hey." Wally's own voice surprised him. He hadn't planned to actually say anything.

Robin's eyes focused on him, dark echoes of his thoughts still shifting in their blue depths like silhouettes on a wall.

"You think too much, you know that?"

Robin sat up straight like he'd been shocked. His fingers curled slightly over Wally's heart, catching the material of his shirt, and the shadows fled from his eyes. "I know." The air between them was tensed and charged with the same intensity he felt from Robin just before they sparred.

Robin gripped his hair painfully tight and kissed him fiercely.

He gasped at the scrape of nails on his scalp and the slide of Robin's tongue against his. Robin kissed him without restraint, his hands and mouth demanding. Wally's senses sharpened and he was hyperaware of Robin's body—legs straddling his hips, chest brushing against his frame, teeth and tongue, heat and friction. He struggled for control, wanting desperately to lose himself in the sensations but fearful of the consequences.

Robin's lips left his and moved to his neck, open mouth hot as it traveled down to his collarbone. Wally shuddered and gripped the ends of Robin's shirt desperately. Cold fingers pressed against the skin above his waistband and at the forefront of his mind was that bittersweet taste of _want_ and _need_, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought that maybe some werido villain had found a way to slip something into Robin's food and the younger boy was going crazy and he should definitely stop this. But his thoughts scattered, leaving behind sweet oblivion as Robin's nails trailed across his stomach.

He yanked Robin's head back up for another kiss. The younger boy seemed to _melt_ against him, his whole body molding to Wally's. Longing rose in him, fierce and burning. He flipped Robin onto his back, his mouth never leaving the younger boy's. Robin's legs wrapped around him furiously tight, as if the closeness of their bodies was alleviating some great pain. A violent shiver passed through Wally, and he sucked on Robin's bottom lip hard. Robin made a desperate sort of sound and arched up against him.

Loud music cut through the haze in Wally's mind. Robin jumped at the sound and broke off the kiss. He kept an arm wrapped tightly around Wally's neck as he reached down to pull his cellphone out of his pocket. Wally gripped his shirt hard and pressed his face into the crook of his neck as he tried to get his body under control. His heart was pounding like crazy, and it didn't help that he could hear Robin's uneven breathing close to his ear.

Robin swore suddenly and shoved Wally away. Wally nearly cried out at the abrupt loss of the younger boy's body.

Robin seemed to take no notice of his distress as he stood hurriedly and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Jenny."

_Shit._

Robin turned away from him as he spoke. "Right now? Yeah, sure… No, I'm free… Yeah… Yeah… Okay, I'll call you when I'm almost there … Uh-huh … Kay, bye."

He hung up and slipped the phone back in his pocket. Wally stayed sitting on the floor where Robin had left him. He watched Robin's back grow slowly tense, and Wally's whole body thrummed with bottled emotion like he had seen a great wall of water was rise and was waiting for it to crest.

"I have to go."

"Robin…"

Wally was expecting him to yell or get angry. But he seemed completely calm aside from the slow clenching and unclenching of his fingers. "Don't say anything."

"But, I—"

"_Wally_." His eyes met Wally's at last. It was the oddest sensation to search Robin's face—a face he knew better than his own—and to see nothing. "I'm really sorry."

He shut the door softly on the way out. He didn't even have the decency to slam it or to show that he'd been at all affected by what had happened. He had bottled up all his emotions and taken them with him, leaving Wally with nothing. Just an empty, hollow feeling. And the plain certainty that Robin had at last truly and finally rejected him.


	6. Fallout

**Author's Note: Haha it seemed like everyone enjoyed the last chapter XD That made me happy enough to write this part a little faster than usual ;) Have fun with Wally and Artemis' awkward conversation. I had fun writing it XD  
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**For context: Dick's 11 and Wally's 13 in this memory...  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc.**

* * *

><p>Bruises<p>

Chapter 6: Fallout

Artemis was more than a little annoyed when she saw that the lights in the training room were already on. What was the point in waking up at the crack of dawn if she couldn't train on her own? M'gann and Superboy were still sleeping, and of the rest of her teammates, Artemis figured Robin was the only other person crazy enough to be up at this hour for training.

But it wasn't the Boy Wonder she found on the lit floor. Wally was lying facedown on the ground, barefoot and wearing very rumpled clothes. His stats were floating moodily next to his head with the familiar red "Fail" glowing dismally. Artemis had never seen anything so melodramatic in her whole life.

"Hey, drama queen," she said, nudging him in the ribs. "If you don't want to become part of my target practice, then you better get out."

Wally swatted at her foot halfheartedly. "Don't bother me," he whined. "Can't you see I'm _depressed_?"

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I _know_, Wally. The _whole world_ knows when you're depressed. Now can you _move_?"

Wally lay still and silent.

Artemis made a frustrated sound. "_Please_?"

Still no response.

Artemis gritted her teeth. It looked like she was going to have to play this one out with Wally. She squatted down next to the redhead. "You gonna tell me what happened?"

"_No._"

Artemis waited. There was the predictable few seconds of sullen silence before Wally murmured in a small, sulky voice, "I did it again."

"Did what?"

"You _know_."

"Oh, you mean slept with some random girl so you could wake up the next morning hating yourself? You know, that sob story's getting a little old."

She was pretty sick of hearing about Wally's girl problems. Artemis didn't really get it herself. Wally was the only guy she knew who woke up depressed after hooking up with someone. If he could just be happy like a normal guy, it would solve all his problems. Or maybe he just needed a normal guy friend to be happy about it with.

Wally curled in on himself like he was trying to become so small that he would disappear from the world. It was a pathetic enough display to make Artemis go a little soft…

"…Who was it this time?"

"Sam," he muttered.

" '_Sam_?' "

"As in _Samantha_." He rolled over to give her a "would you grow up?" look. It was eerie to be on the receiving end of it for once.

"Okay, so Sam. _Samantha_. And the problem was…?"

"I'd gone out with her a couple of times a while back. I wasn't even planning to call her again, but then…"

"But then?" Artemis prompted on cue.

"But then Robin… We kinda argued, and he went off with Jenny and I… I dunno."

"Okay, you were lonely so you called up this Sam girl. What's the big deal?"

Wally made a face like he was trying to swallow something very bitter. Then he blurted out, "Robin's a man whore!"

Artemis gasped and laughed at the same time and nearly choked herself. "A '_man whore'_?" she asked when she was able to breathe again. "Did you really just call Robin a _man whore?_"

"Well, he _is_," Wally muttered darkly.

"Okay, first of all, coming from you… Major irony. That's all I'll say about that. Second of all, have you _seen_ the girls Robin dates?"

"Yeah. And?"

"Do you _really_ think he's getting any?"

"I don't know. Maybe? Or…I guess not. I mean…." Wally seemed to think very hard for a second. "Well, that would make sense if he's not. That's probably why…"

"Why what?"

Wally's mouth snapped shut. "_Nothing_." He twisted himself back onto his stomach and buried his face in the crook of his arm.

Okay, so the big "argument" had something to do with raging teenage boy hormones. It would've been amusing if it had been anyone other than Robin and Wally. But Artemis was wary of nearly anything that happened between those two. There was something not right about their relationship, particularly on Robin's side. He was just too…possessive. In a way that made her uncomfortable at times.

But Wally was too head-over-heels to notice that anything was wrong, and Artemis could admit that she herself didn't fully understand what was going on. All she knew was that Wally looked like he was riding some crazy emotional roller coaster, and it was getting to the point of being unhealthy.

She was tired of watching this.

"Hey, Wally. Let me ask you something."

~o*O*o~

"Artemis asked me out."

"_What?"_

Wally took advantage of his friend's distraction to snag the ball and shoot it. It bounced off the rim and rolled down the hill. Wally jogged after it. By the time he'd retrieved the ball, Robin seemed to have processed his initial news.

"What'd you say to her?" he demanded.

Wally shrugged and took another shot. "What do you say when a hot blond asks you out? _Yes._"

This time the ball went in with a satisfying _swish_.

Robin caught the ball and held onto it, staring at Wally fiercely. "What's wrong with you?"

"Huh?"

"You don't even like her!"

"Hey! First of all, I _do_ like her. We're pretty close and we get along well enough. Second of all, some _support_ would be nice, dude."

Robin narrowed his eyes, gaze calculating and suspicious.

Wally pushed up his sleeves uncomfortably. "It's not like it's anything serious. We're just trying it out. Jeez, I thought you'd be _happy_. You know, you've got Jenny and now I've got Artemis. It all works out."

The muscles on Robin's arms were straining, and Wally was almost sure he was going to pop the basketball in his hands. "You're seriously going to do this?"

"…Yeah. Yeah I am."

"_Fine_." Robin chucked the ball at him. It hit Wally hard in the chest. "Let's go on a double date sometime. That'd be fun, right?"

Wally blinked in confusion. It was probably the weirdest request he'd ever gotten from the younger boy. "Yeah. Um, that sounds good."

"It does, doesn't it? It sounds _great_. It sounds normal and healthy, huh?"

"Sure. I mean, yes. Yes, it does."

"Good. Now that that's settled, can we get back to playing? I didn't come here to listen to your stupid girl problems all day."

Robin took off towards the basket. Wally moved to block him and was viciously shoved aside. He rubbed his arm where Robin had shouldered him painfully and watched the younger boy take his shot. He should've expected their game to take a slightly more hostile turn after that conversation. Robin was immature like that sometimes.

Wally went along with it. It was better to have it out on the court instead of letting Robin bottle it up only to lash out at him later.

So Robin knocked him around and Wally pushed back, but mostly just because he knew the younger boy wouldn't be satisfied unless he got a real fight. And when he grew sick of Robin's dirty tricks, Wally used his speed to steal the ball and make a fantastic shot to end the game.

He caught the ball before it touched the ground, and smiled at Robin smugly. The younger boy glowered at him. "Cheater."

"Look who's talking. I'm pretty sure sweep kicking your opponent's leg is against the rules." Wally hadn't meant to tease, but he was surprised to find that he was in a much better mood. And he expected that Robin had spent all this anger by now. Now things could go back to normal.

But Robin didn't seem to agree. He gave Wally one last glare before spinning and his heal and storming off.

"Rob! Where are you going?" Wally called after him.

"_Jenny's_," he spat over his shoulder.

Wally considered it a great sign of maturity that he was able to restrain himself from chucking the ball at Robin's head. He never got anything right.

~o*O*o~

"_Hey, Rob!"_ _The next words the followed were a jumbled mess of sounds interrupted by screeching tires and explosions blasting from the TV._

"_What?" he yelled back, muting to volume._

"_ARE YOU DONE WITH THAT COMIC YET?" Wally's voice screeched into the now quiet living room._

"_Master Wally, please lower your voice," Alfred admonished as he walked in with a platter of snacks and drinks. "This is a house, not a playground."_

_Dick grinned at Wally behind Alfred's back, and Wally mouthed back at him darkly, "Not cool."_

_But the older boy brightened as soon as he caught sight of the food Alfred had set down. He plopped down next to Dick and started shoveling snacks into his mouth._

"_Do you want it back?"_

"_Hmm?" Wally looked at him, cheeks stuffed with food like a chipmunk._

_Dick snickered. Food could make Wally forget about anything. "You know, your comic book?"_

"_Mmm!" He held up a hand as he swallowed and took a big gulp of soda. "You're done with it?"_

"_Yeah, it's in my backpack." Dick waved at the bag sitting on the floor at the other end of the couch._

_Wally began to rummage through it, and Robin started flipping channels again._

"_Hey!" Wally was holding up a folded piece of paper in his hand and looking absolutely gleeful._

"_What's that?"_

" '_What's that?' " Wally parroted, shaking his head. "Grayson, you sly dog. I had no idea."_

"_What __**is**__it?" Wally just cackled. He rolled his eyes and snatched the paper away to look at it himself. His name was written on the front inside of a large heart. Dick suddenly wasn't sure he wanted to know what was written inside._

"_Well, who's it from?" Wally asked, grinning like mad._

_Dick flushed. "__**No one**_._" He crumpled the paper hurriedly. Someone must've slipped it into his backpack at school._

"_Hey!" Wally grabbed his wrist and tried to wrestle it out of his grasp. Dick cursed him for being so much larger, as he felt the paper being pried out of his fingers._

"_Don't you know it's rude to throw away a letter without reading it?" Wally said, waggling an admonishing finger at him. Purposefully ignoring Dick's murderous look, he smoothed out the paper and cleared his throat to read._

" '_Dear Dick.' Ooooh, there's a heart around this one too! 'I like you. I think you are nice and I like your eyes. Do you like me?' " Wally suddenly burst out laughing. He doubled over, gasping and clutching his stomach, lost in his mirth._

"_What?__** What is so funny?**__" Dick snatched the paper back._

"_There's… There's a…. HAHAHA!" Another fit of laughter. "At the bottom! You have to check 'Yes,' 'No,' or 'Maybe.' And send it back!" He giggled uncontrollably again._

_Dick's face was burning, and he knew he was bright red now. "Why are girls so __**weird**__?" he growled, smashing the love letter into a ball and hurling it as far as he could from himself._

"_Oh, Robin, Robin," Wally said with a condescending sigh. "You have so much to learn."_

"_About what?" Dick asked skeptically._

"_About __**life**__, man." The older boy slung a friendly arm around his shoulders. "Consider this your fist lesson: Attention from girls is a good thing. You __**want**__ them to like you."_

_Dick wrinkled his nose in disgust. "No, I __**don't**__."_

"_Ah ah ah! You're not listening!" Wally chided, tapping him lightly on the nose. "__**You want girls to like you**__. Or at least you will very soon. And don't worry, because when that day comes, your bro Wally will be here to give you all the advice you need."_

"_You've never actually had a girlfriend, have you, Wally?"_

_The older boy's face darkened. "You are not nice."_


	7. Bleeding

**Author's Note: Next chapter! In which Wally rambles a lot about pointless things and makes an idiot out of himself. But what else is new? XD Glad I finally got this chapter out. I had all of the last chapters worked out, and then... I decided to rewrite everything XP I need to stop doing that... But anyway, I didn't do as much editing for this chapter so forgive me if it's a little rougher than usual. Hope you all enjoy! :D Thanks for the reviews/favs as always!  
><strong>

**For context: 14-year-old Dick and 16-year-old Wally in this memory...  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc.**

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><p>Bruises<p>

Chapter 7: Bleeding

_Beginning of July_

Artemis watched the large X flash on the screen above with satisfaction.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Wally groaned behind her. "That's your fourth strike!"

"Yeah, who would've thought archery and aiming go hand-in-hand?" She jabbed him in the side as she sat down. "Your turn, Gutter Kid."

"I think you're cheating."

"You can try my ball if it'll make you feel better."

"Fine. I _will_."

Wally was even worse with the second ball. Artemis watched gleefully as it flew four feet in the air and landed with a loud crack two lanes to their right.

"Bowling is stupid!" Wally declared vehemently as Artemis laughed. His next ball went in the gutter, and she laughed harder.

"_And _it's for little kids and old people," he continued.

"But I'm sure it would be the best game ever if you were actually winning." Artemis could practically feel him making faces at her as she took her next turn. "Shouldn't you be good at this? I thought this was all people did in the Midwest."

"You kidding me? I haven't been bowling since like middle school. Actually, I think the last time I went was for Robin's 12th birthday."

Artemis said nothing, hoping that her obvious lack of interest would discourage Wally from elaborating.

But he kept going: "Robin was a trouble-maker even then. I remember he did this prank at the bowling alley. He got into the lights system somehow and linked it to his computer. And the manager—who must've had a cold or something—we started following him around and every time he sneezed Robin would kill the lights. That guy started telling everyone he was psychic."

Wally's eyes had that special light to them they always got when he talked about Robin. Artemis wanted to hit him for being so transparent. She'd never say it out loud, but she doubted that Robin was capable of returning such honest emotions. The younger boy had a bad habit of manipulation, and sometimes she felt that he had trouble discerning between friends and enemies when it came to looking for weaknesses.

Artemis tuned back into Wally's lovesick ramblings. "He's been acting kind of weird lately," Wally was saying.

"Who?"

"Robin."

"Oh, we're still talking about him," she said, her tone going very flat.

Wally continued as if he hadn't heard her. "He's been coming back late the past several days. Sometimes after I've gone to sleep. I thought he was hanging out at his girlfriend's place or something, but he came back last night looking a little battered like he'd been in a fight. So I think he must be out doing the vigilante thing. You'd figure he'd get enough between missions with us and cases with Batman but—"

"Okay, stop," Artemis interrupted.

Wally stopped short, mouth still hanging open with half-formed words.

"Just stop talking about Robin."

His face turned red and again she felt frustrated with him for being so easy to read. Didn't he know how to guard himself?

"Wally," she sighed and turned to face him. Artemis had always believed that if you want to get your point across, you look someone straight in the eyes and don't back down."Look, I don't pretend to know what goes on between you two, but I can tell it's screwing you up so… Maybe for your sake, we should just forget about Robin… Just this once?"

Wally looked tense and on-edge as she spoke. Artemis was afraid that he wouldn't listen to her, and so she pressed, "Isn't that why we agreed to do this anyway?"

Wally slumped back in his chair as if he'd finally set down a great weight he'd been carrying. "And here I thought you were madly in love with me," he said with a smile.

It was acceptance and gratitude in Wally's own way. "You mean you haven't realized I just keep you around for the ego boost?" She nodded towards their scores up on the screen.

"I'm just being chivalrous. My real bowling skills are too awesome and powerful for you to handle."

Artemis just snorted as Wally stood to take his next turn. He started towards the lane, then abruptly turned and stepped back towards Artemis like he had just remembered something. She had no time to even wonder at his actions before he bent down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

The smile that came to her lips was swift and inevitable. It was the first "thank you" she'd ever gotten from Wally.

~o*O*o~

"So then we hung out at the theater all day and hopped from movie to movie. But after a while, this one guy must've recognized us because he stopped us on our way in and asked to see our tickets. But Artemis just said…"

Wally and Robin were finally hanging out in the apartment together after days of Robin avoiding him. Last night, he had again come back after Wally had gone to sleep. But Wally had cornered him this morning, determined to put an end to the awkwardness between them and salvage some of their friendship.

What had happened instead was that Wally had started talking about Artemis and couldn't stop. He just really wanted to show the younger boy that he was happy with Artemis. If he could convince Robin that he was over him, Robin could relax and they could at last move towards something more like normal friends. Though Wally's endless ramblings about the girl were annoying even himself, it was better than listening to Robin's unnatural silence that was only interrupted by curt, emotionless responses.

"Sounds like fun," Robin said without much enthusiasm.

"Yeah, it was. Artemis is a lot of fun. I like that about her. She—"

Robin suddenly jumped off the couch. "I just remembered, I'm supposed to be somewhere."

"Oh, um. Okay." Wally was disappointed but not exactly surprised by his abrupt escape. "Are you…" He almost didn't ask, but it was becoming agony not to know. "Are you meeting up with Jenny?"

Robin went rigid for a moment. "Yeah." He didn't look at Wally as he answered.

It was moments like these when Robin was obviously running from him that strengthened Wally's resolve to fix things between them. Despite how hard it was to force his feelings down, it was worse to continue this way.

Robin was halfway out of the apartment when he stopped suddenly. He seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, then closed the door and leaned against it. His gaze held Wally's steadily, looking like a man who had just resigned himself to a horrible, imminent death.

"We broke up. A couple of weeks ago."

"Oh. Sorry," were the first words out of Wally's mouth. But then he processed the second part of what Robin had said. "Wait, 'a couple of weeks ago?'"

"Yeah. That night you and I…"

Oh right. _That_ night. Robin had probably ended it between them out of guilt, Wally decided. He was loyal to a fault sometimes. But what Wally could not understand was how he didn't know about it this whole time. He combed through his memories, wondering if his mistake was the fault of his own assumptions. But he could remember very clearly times within the past few weeks when Robin had explicitly said he was going to see Jenny. So why…

"I lied." Robin's eyes were searching, quietly gauging his response.

Wally felt a weight drop into his stomach. "What?"

"I lied," he said again.

Wally struggled within himself for a response beyond the immediate impulse to be angry. But it was nearly impossible since Robin didn't elaborate any further. He offered no explanation or excuse. "It…It's okay," he forced out.

The muscles in Robin's face tightened and his hands curled into tight fists. "It's not the first time, you know. I do it a lot, actually."

Robin was crossing into the territory of cruelty now, and Wally was almost sure he was just fishing for a reaction. Wally took a shaky breath. He didn't feel like dealing with Robin's immaturity right now. It was hard enough to act like an adult for himself. It was just plain unfair to have to do it for both of them. "It's fine, just… just drop it," he said in as nice a voice as he could manage.

"Sometimes I lie to you just to see if you'll believe me."

"Why do you have to be such a child, Dick?" Wally shot back, careful to keep his voice as impassive as possible.

Robin cringed like he'd been struck.

"If you want my attention, just ask. You don't have to be cruel."

Robin seemed to shrink a little as he pressed himself back hard against the door. Knowing that he had hurt the younger boy satisfied an anger that had been brewing deep inside Wally for years. So he drove the knife in deeper.

In that same, cold and distant voice, he said, "No wonder you two broke up. It's amazing that you manage to get girlfriends at all with the immature way you act. You're lucking you're good-looking, Dick, or you—"

"Stop saying my name like that!" Robin hissed with a vicious fury that took Wally aback. "I didn't tell you my identity so you could use it like a weapon when you want to hurt me."

This was exactly what Wally had been doing, although he hadn't realized it until now. It was kind of a jerk move considering how few people Robin actually trusted with his real name. "I…Sorry," he mumbled quickly.

The anger immediately fell from Robin's face. He sighed and pressed his palms against his eyes, looking defeated. "What the hell are we doing, Wally?"

Wally wanted so badly to believe that was he was doing would work given time. But nothing he tried seemed to go right, and everything was such a complete mess right now. "I don't know," he admitted at last. He felt as lost as Robin looked.

Robin came back to the couch to sit next to him. Wally could see the cogs working in his head again. More thinking and planning. More pretenses and invisible boundaries. Just knowing what was going on in Robin's mind made him feel so very tired. All he wanted right now was a taste of simple honesty. But he knew it would have to come from him, not Robin.

"Robin, I want to tell you something."

The younger boy's gaze met his. Staring into those blue eyes, Wally was intensely aware that all he knew best and all he wanted most was sitting right next to him. And he was terrified to lose it.

He leaned against the warm body next to him, hoping the touch would steady his nerves a little. He reminded himself that Robin probably already knew anyway and so it might not be too bad.

Steeling himself for whatever consequences would follow, he began, "Robin, I—"

"I know," Robin interrupted, voice quiet but firm. His knuckles were white as he griped his knees. "Wally, I've always known."

Wally closed his eyes against the sadness and pity on Robin's face. "I thought you might've."

"I'm sorry, Wally." Those same words again. It didn't hurt any less the second time around. "I know it's cruel of me to ask you to get over it but…"

"I'm trying," Wally insisted, his heart clenching terribly. "Rob, I'm _trying_. Artemis… Well it helps being with her but… I don't know if it will be enough."

"It _has_ to be." Robin's voice was uneven, making Wally realize the kind of desperation the younger boy was feeling. To know that he was causing Robin such pain hurt Wally deeper than anything else. He turned and pressed his face into Robin's shoulder because he felt himself shaking and couldn't stop. "Wally, I _can't_."

"I know. I know." Wally clung to Robin's sleeve like a lifeline. "I'll keep trying, Rob. I really will, but… If I can't do it… If it's something I can't get over… Please… Please just don't hate me for it." As the words poured from him, Wally realized the terrible grip this fear had on him. His love for Robin, his desire to be with him was strong, but even stronger was the terror that the younger boy would come to hate him.

Robin's arms went around him so tight it hurt. "I won't," he said into Wally's hair. "I promise."

~o*O*o~

"_You're bleeding."_

_Dick felt himself frown as he studied the impassive face staring very intently at him. For a moment he thought he had imagined the voice._

"_On your arm." He pointed, and Dick looked down to see a tear in his suit right under his elbow and a thin trickle of blood._

_It didn't look deep. "It's just a scratch," he said with a shrug._

_A look of deep contemplation crossed Superboy's face._

"_What?"_

"_Just wondering if you have any sense of self-preservation."_

"_Do bullet-proof aliens even know what self-preservation means? It seems like an unnecessary concept for you."_

_Superboy just gave a sort of lopsided smile._

_Dick grinned to himself. Getting Superboy to smile had once been a game between Dick and Wally. Until Wally had realized Dick was much better at it. Then the older boy had decided it was a stupid game. _

_A small stirring of the air above him prompted Dick to look up. M'gann's bioship hovered above them, the air around it rippling like water._

"_Told you they were coming."_

"_Didn't say you were wrong, did I? Kinda hard to argue with super hearing." Dick snagged the line that had lowered down and attached it to his belt. He gave a tug when it was secure, and felt himself being lifted up._

_Wind hit him as Superboy leapt past him into the hull of the ship. Dick rolled his eyes. The clone never used a tool when his powers would suffice._

_He automatically searched for a bright red mess of hair when they were back on board. His habit of checking on Wally first after missions was one he developed long ago._

_Wally was sitting on the floor with Artemis, looking far too comfortable dabbing antiseptic onto a cut on the archer's cheek. He didn't acknowledge Dick's arrival in the slightest._

_Artemis winced at his touch. "Ouch! Could you be any more clumsy? And don't put your face so close! It's creepy!"_

"_You know you like it," Wally said with a grin, leaning in more._

"_Would you grow up?" she snapped. But she didn't move back as far this time. Their foreheads were nearly brushing now and Wally's fingers lingered too long by Artemis' cheek._

_Something in Dick's chest coiled painfully tight. "Quit hogging the first aid kit!" he growled as he strode over to snatch it away._

_Wally's gaze snapped towards him, and that thing in his chest relaxed. He dug around for some baindaids, purposefully using his injured arm within full view of the older boy._

"_Hey, you're hurt!" Wally exclaimed._

_He moved away from Artemis and grabbed Dick's arm to examine it. Dick touched Wally's wrist lightly for reassurance, fitting comfortably back into the older boy's presence like sliding his hand into a glove._

" '_It's just a scratch,' " Superboy parroted. He smiled at Dick as if he had just been very helpful, and Dick glared back at him._

"_Doesn't mean I don't want a bandaid," he said stiffly. "I think I'd rather it didn't get infected."_

_It didn't matter what Superboy said anyway because Wally was looking at Dick now instead of Artemis, and his arm was warm under Dick's fingertips and his eyes were alight with playfulness._

"_It's okay, Rob, we all know how delicate you are," Wally said with a grin._

_Dick smiled and opened his mouth to retort. But Artemis beat him to it: "That's funny coming from __**you.**__"_

_Wally turned away from him. Dick's stomach twisted again. "Hey, I just patched you up! Show some gratitude, would you?"_

_Artemis snorted. "Yeah, well I got hurt saving your ass, so you actually owe __**me**__."_

_Wally said something back, and the two of them went into another one of their endless arguments. The urge to recapture Wally's attention was raging inside of Dick again, and he tried to stamp it down. He knew it was childish to demand someone's sole attention. But even as the years of Dick's childhood fell away, the desire burned still fiercer within him. This need, this jealousy had become a frighteningly consistent pattern. One that he was sure would cause trouble soon if he didn't get it under control._


	8. Small Comforts

**Author's Note: Finally got the next chapter done! Thanks so much for all the support, guys :D All your reviews/favs were what inspired me to finish this (that and rewatching "Home Front" over and over again XD). Oh and just to give you guys fair warning, after this there's only one more chapter and an epilogue left (so 10 parts total). Can't believe it's almost done D:**

**For context: Dick is 15 and Wally is 17 in this memory :)  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc.**

* * *

><p>Bruises<p>

Chapter 8: Small Comforts

_Middle of July_

"Please let him be asleep. Please let him be asleep," Wally chanted under his breath as he raced back home. A few weeks ago, he would've thought himself crazy for making such a wish. There was nothing he would've wanted more than to spend every possible second with Robin. But ever since he'd made his big confession of undying love to his best friend, things had been, well, strained. And frankly, Robin was driving him _insane_.

The younger boy was redoubling his efforts at normalcy. He was making a special effort to joke around with Wally and was extra cheerful about everything. To make matters worse, every single moment Wally was within reach, the younger boy would hang onto him or grab his sleeve or something. He was being _way_ too touchy for Wally's sanity to handle. Wally had yet to figure out if it was some sort of test or just Robin being his normal fickle self. But it was so much more difficult to keep his promise of trying to move on under these circumstances.

The thought of facing Robin and his abnormal touchiness sent another wave of panic through Wally as he reached his apartment door. "Please, please, _please_, let him be asleep." He held his breath as he turned the knob.

The lights in the living room were off. Wally breathed out in relief. He'd gotten lucky again.

Thankfully, Robin's little game of Pretend Everything's Normal seemed to be tiring him out immensely, and he'd been going to sleep earlier and earlier over the past week. This was the second night Wally had been able to time it perfectly so that the younger boy was already in bed when Wally got back from hanging with Artemis.

Wally congratulated himself on his cleverness as he crept through the living room soundlessly. It was not an easy task to successfully avoid a fully trained Bat.

He slipped into his room and closed the door very slowly. But when his eyes fell upon his desk, he gave up all attempts at being quiet.

"Damn it, _why_?" he asked the heavens.

Robin was sitting at his desk fast asleep, his cheek resting on the pages of an open book. Bracing himself for the unpleasant task of dealing with fake cheer and touching he wanted but had to pretend he didn't, Wally nudged the younger boy in the shoulder. "Hey, Rob."

Robin stirred at his touch. "Mmm…KF?" Wally wished his whole body wouldn't ache when Robin murmured his name like that.

"Hey, I'm gone for a couple of hours and already you take over my room, huh?"

"Thought you weren't coming back…"

"What, like stay at Artemis'? Are you kidding me? Her mom would skin me alive."

"Nnnn…" was Robin's only response as he turned his face into the crook of his arm.

"Come on, man. Wake up." Wally tapped him on the head a few times. He didn't really trust himself with more physical contact than that.

Robin made an annoyed sound and swatted his hand halfheartedly. "Sleepin…" he mumbled.

"I know you're sleeping, but you shouldn't stay here." Robin didn't move, and for a second Wally stood there at a loss. He had no idea how he'd drag Robin all the way to the couch if he couldn't even get the kid to open his eyes. He briefly entertained the thought of leaving him at the desk, but it seemed a little mean. Besides, Wally didn't want to have to choose between tormenting himself by sleeping on his bed in the same room with Robin and hurting the younger boy's feelings by sleeping on the couch to avoid him. That left him with only one other option.

"Come on, get up for a sec. You don't even have to go to the couch," he coaxed. "I'll let you take the bed. See how nice I am? You just have to take two steps to your right…"

When the younger boy still refused to budge, Wally grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. Robin grumbled but allowed Wally to guide him over to the bed and sit him down. He remained upright, swaying slightly for a moment and then drooped forward to rest his head against Wally's stomach.

"Rob, we're going to sleep now, remember?" he said patiently as if speaking to a child. As he tried to push Robin away, the younger boy grabbed ahold of his t-shirt and clung to it stubbornly. He said something into Wally's stomach. The words were muffled by Wally's shirt and all he could make out was "tired."

"Yeah, you're tired. Hence the sleeping I'm trying to get you to do. Lie down."

"I said '_I'm tired of this_,'" Robin said in a sudden, loud and clear voice.

"Oh." Wally didn't need to ask what "this" was.

Robin's fingers tightened in the material of his shirt. "I just want things to go back to the way they were…"

Right, trying to make things normal again was working _so well_ for them. Wally held back the cutting remark and said patiently, "It doesn't really work like that."

"_Obviously_." Robin sighed, and Wally could feel the warmth of his breath through the material of his shirt.

Wally pushed Robin off of him quickly. "You should go to sleep. I'll…take the couch." He took a step back, but Robin latched onto his wrist. The younger boy's eyes were fixed on the floor, but his jaw was set in determination.

"Remember that time at Wayne Manor when… When we slept in the same bed?" he asked quietly.

The memory of that night was still vivid in Wally's mind—the fresh, sudden fear like a chill spreading from within him, Robin's warmth and comfort seeping in deeper than any fire. But above all, he remembered the innocent way Robin had made the offer, too young to realize as Wally did that it was strange for two boys to sleep together.

"That time… It didn't mean anything, right?"

"No… It didn't," he admitted, and immediately wished he hadn't said it. He knew where this was going.

"Maybe we… It doesn't have to mean anything this time either if we…"

Robin's hunched form and the undertone of longing in his voice begged for something they once had. Back when innocent touches like putting an arm around a shoulder or leaning against each other they sat together were just that—innocent. When neither of them thought about love or lust or anything other than the fact that they liked being together. It was closeness Robin wanted. Unlabeled, without any implications. If Wally saw their situation in that light, he thought he could understand why Robin had continued to let little touches slip by sometimes even as he grew to understand what such actions meant. It wasn't fickleness. And it wasn't leading him on. It was just… giving in a little. Wally understood that. Even if it wasn't the type of intimacy he wanted anymore.

"It's… probably not a good idea, Rob," he said, although it was clear his resolve was wavering.

"Why?"

"You _know_ why." He desperately wished Robin would just drop it. A roar of emotions was crowding him, pressing in, and the delicate net of reason and maturity he'd so painstakingly weaved around his desires was ripping.

"But if we just… We can pretend…" The younger boy tugged on his arm with a slight but insistent pressure.

It didn't seem fair, what Robin was asking of him. But Wally knew he was the only one who saw this selfish side of Robin. This possessiveness, this need to monopolize a person's time and affections was reserved for Wally alone. It wasn't healthy. It wasn't something that should make Wally happy. But the thought of being so special to Robin sent an unwanted shiver up his spine.

"_Please_…"

This time Wally let himself be pulled forward. Robin rolled onto his side to make space for him. Wally slid under the covers, his movements slow and hesitant at first. But the feel of wrapping his arm around Robin's lithe frame was so sweet that it melted away all reservations, and he found himself pressing in close against Robin's warm back. Robin locked Wally's wrist against his stomach. The tightness of his grip assured Wally that he was wanted. He buried his face in Robin's neck, hoping to shut out the guilt that rose when he realized how ridiculously wonderful it felt to be with the younger boy like this. Reasons and consequences could wait till the morning.

"'Night, Rob," he said quietly against Robin's skin.

The younger boy mumbled something and seemed to fall right back asleep.

Tonight as Wally drifted off he didn't have to struggle to shut out memories and the rising ache of longing. For once he had exactly what he wanted.

~o*O*o~

_"Yeah, no kidding you're late," Dick was saying into his phone. "Not like that's surprising."_

_He pulled out clothes from his drawer haphazardly._

_**Yeah, yeah speedster's late again. Haha,**__ came Wally's voice. __**I'll be there in 2 seconds.**_

_"Well, I gotta shower so give me like 10 minu-"_

_The doorbell chimed, and Dick hung up the phone with a sigh. Wally came zipping into his room a split second later, papers flying off Dick's desk in his wake. "You look smelly," he observed._

_Dick pushed his bangs back from his sweaty forehead. "Astute."_

_Wally wrinkled his nose at him. "Why do you train so much anyway?"_

"_I swear you ask me that like every day—"_

"_It's so you can look good in the cape, isn't it? Hey, lend me a shirt," he demanded before Dick had a chance to respond._

_"What's wrong with your—"_

_That's when he noticed that Wally was wearing the same clothes he had seem him in last night. He looked away, locking down the emotion that surged forward before it could become something recognizable. "My clothes won't fit you," he stated._

_"Well, I know your jeans won't, but all I need's a shirt." His shoulder knocked against Dick's absentmindedly as he moved to dig through the dresser. There was a hint of perfume lingering on him. Dick jerked back._

_Wally looked up, startled._

"_It'll be too small on you," Dick said hurriedly. "The shirt."_

"_Whatever," Wally said, recovering his nonchalance with ease. "It'll show off my manly muscles." He considered this for a moment. "But you can't hold me responsible if your shirt gets damaged when I'm attacked by lust-filled women."_

"_No one could hold you responsible for that," Dick said, shaking his head. "I'm gonna shower."_

"_Movie starts in half an hour."_

"_I know, I know. Five minutes."_

_Dick slipped into the bathroom, and closed the door. He had just turned on the water, when Wally's voice floated in from the living room: "Rob, where's your remote?"_

"_I don't know. Check the bed," Dick yelled back._

_He assumed the older boy had found it, because a minute later Wally's __obnoxious laughter was reverberating off the tile in the bathroom. "Dude, you gotta see this show!"_

_Dick scrubbed his hair viciously and tried to ignore him._

"_Rob, did you hear me?" Wally's called, voice rising to a pitch that seemed to drill right through Dick's head._

"_Yeah, I heard you!"_

"_Okay, okay, just checking!"_

_Dick got about twenty seconds of peace before more roaring laughter shook the bathroom walls. "You're missing it!"_

"_Can't you wait just __**one second**__?" Dick snapped back._

"_Nope. Hurry up!"_

_From experience Dick new that the longer he took, the more Wally would bother him. So he rinsed his hair, went over his skin with a washcloth quickly, and then snapped off the faucet. "This better be good, KF," he called as he threw on his clothes. His hair was still sopping and clinging to his forehead as he grabbed his shirt and stepped back out into his room._

_Wally was sprawled out on the bed, wearing one of Dick's plain, black shirts. Dick had been right about it being a little snug, but it didn't look half-bad on him._

"_It's good, I promise!" Wally waved him over without taking his eyes off the TV. _

"_Is this one of those home movie shows?"_

"_Yeah, but it's hilarious, I swear."_

_Dick watched a teenage kid on screen eat it as he tried to take his bike over a homemade ramp. "And why am I watching a show about stupid things that I can see you do any day at your house?"_

_He watched a few more horrible clips before realizing that Wally was eerily quiet. He glanced over at the older boy, who was staring in his direction with a glazed look. Dick looked behind him, wondering if there was a random hot girl standing in the doorway that he didn't know about. It had been known to happen. He did live with the "playboy" Bruce Wayne, after all. But all Robin saw was an empty hallway and his bookshelf against the wall. He didn't think there was anything interesting there. At least, nothing that would make Wally look like that. But—_

_With a jolt, he realized why Wally was staring. He whipped back around, face burning. "What are you looking at?"_

_Wally went bright red and whipped his head back to the TV. "Nothing!" Dick pulled his shirt on as quickly as possible. His heart was hammering in his chest, and his stomach was tight. He was angry, he realized. Angry because Wally had looked at him like that. That was a look reserved for big-boobed bimbos walking down the street, not best __**male**__ friends. He had a sudden flash of his name in the middle of the list of girls Wally had liked, the people he'd had brief flings with then forgotten about, those who he never gave a thought to ever again._

_Dick cautiously lowered himself down next to Wally on the bed, suddenly on-edge. A commercial was playing for a new water park opening next month. "Dude, we should totally go to that," Wally said, elbowing Dick in the arm gleefully. Dick saw that there was no trace of that look in Wally's eyes and no sign that any other thoughts aside from friendship were on his mind._

_Dick felt himself relax again, slipping back into their old, comfortable dynamic. He told himself to forget what he had seen. This closeness was what he loved, and he was willing to forgive anything to preserve it._

~o*O*o~

For the second time in two months, Wally opened his apartment door to find someone he really did not expect.

"Where is he?" Batman asked, arms stiff at his side and face tense.

"Uh…Bedroom."

Batman pushed past the dumbfounded Wally without another word. He walked through the apartment as if he had been there a hundred times before. Wally shouldn't have been surprised. He wouldn't put it past the Bat to get ahold of the building's blueprints as a method of keeping tabs on Robin. The older man paused when he saw his protégé curled up on the bed.

"How long has he been asleep?"

"Um, I dunno. He was already sleeping when I got home last night. Maybe… 15, 16 hours?"

"And you said this has been happening a lot recently?"

"Well, I guess he's been going to bed earlier lately, but it didn't seem like a big deal…"

Wally hadn't been too worried before. Robin was sleeping in unusually late today, and it had briefly occurred to him that the younger boy might be sick. He'd called Aunt Iris more to pass the time as he waited for Robin to wake up than anything else. But now that Batman was here asking him all sorts of questions, he found himself becoming extremely anxious. "He's okay, right? He's just got a cold or something, doesn't he?"

Batman said nothing as he lowered himself slowly onto the bed next to Robin. He took his shoulder and shook him gently. "Dick?"

The younger boy made a noise of protest and rolled over in his sleep. Wally let out a breath he didn't realized he'd been holding. At least the kid was showing signs of life now. He hadn't even moved when Wally had tried to wake him up a couple of hours ago.

Batman shook him again and called his name a little louder this time. Again, Robin made a noise but did not wake up. It wasn't until the fourth or fifth time Batman tried to rouse him that he finally opened his eyes.

"Bruce?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What're you doing here? It's like the middle of the night."

"It's three in the afternoon, Dick."

"…What day?"

"Saturday."

"Oh…" His eyes flicked towards the ground for a split second, searching. "Guess I was more tired than I thought," he said with his best boyish grin. "No more all-nighters playing video games for us, right, KF?" He gave him a significant look.

"I already know." Batman's voice was firm. "But good try."

Robin's look turned accusatory, and Wally held up his hands defensively. "I thought you were sick! I just called Aunt Iris so she could tell me what to do with you, and I guess she told Uncle Barry, and well…"

"Speedsters," Batman muttered under his breath, like he was sharing a joke with Robin. The younger boy didn't even crack a smile. Not that Wally could blame him. There was something utterly terrifying about the thought of Batman telling a joke.

"Dick."

Robin turned his head away from his mentor stubbornly as his hands worked at a loose thread on the hem of his shirt.

"I'm taking you home."

Robin's gaze snapped back to Batman. "You can't! You said I could stay for the whole summer!"

"I shouldn't have let you stayed here in the first place."

"But—" Robin's wide eyes flicked to Wally for a second.

"Um," Wally put forward eloquently as he tried to think of how to back Robin up. "I promise I'll take better care of him from now on. If that's what you're worried about…"

Batman ignored him. "It's time you came back already," he said to Robin.

"You said the _whole_ summer." Robin's pleading gaze fell on Wally again, but Wally was lost as to how to help him.

"You've already been here two months." Batman's voice was patient, but there was no sympathy in it. "That's long enough."

"It'll just be for a few more weeks…"

"Dick—"

"Bruce, _please_." The soft plea was directed at his mentor, but the younger boy's blue eyes were still fixed on Wally.

Batman took notice at last. The sensation of Batman turning to look at Wally was the same feeling you got from horror movies when the strange, dark figure began to turn and you just knew you were about to see some unspeakable horror. Wally had never experienced anything as frightening as Batman's ice blue eyes scrutinizing him. Even the Bruce Wayne façade he wore with his expensive suit and slick black hair did not lessen the terrifying chill that came from the man. Wally's heart seemed to stop completely when Batman's eyes narrowed at him if he'd seen something entirely unpleasant.

"I need to talk to Dick alone," Batman said at last.

Wally nodded, eager to agree with whatever he said. "Right. Um, I'll just be in the living room…"

Batman's eyes narrowed further.

"Watching TV," he added hurriedly. "With the volume all the way up."

He rushed out of his room and shut the door behind him. True to his word, he did turn on the TV and crank up the volume, but only because he was sure Batman would murder him if he didn't. He then crept quietly back to his room and pressed his ear to the door, concentrating as hard as he could on the conversation happening inside. He could hear nothing except for the low murmur of voices, Robin's occasionally rising slightly, and long periods of silence. Even without the TV on full-blast he probably wouldn't have heard much. He gave up after a few minutes and went back to the living room.

Half an hour of crappy TV later, the dynamic duo emerged.

Robin stared off into the distance distractedly as he held the door open for his mentor. Batman paused in the doorway and put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder, saying something quietly to him. Robin looked up at his mentor, eyes alight with delighted surprise and then threw his head back and laughed.

The sound pierced through Wally. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard Robin laugh. Why was it that Batman could just waltz right in and make everything better again? Weren't they supposed to be fighting or something?

With a tinge of bitterness Wally observed the relaxed, confident air surrounding the younger boy. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed this side of Robin.

Batman shot him a look that was pure venomous hatred. Wally turned back to the TV very quickly.

When the older man was gone, Robin walked over to stand awkwardly before him. Wally didn't have to look up to know that all traces of laughter were gone from his face.

"So what'd the boss say?"

"I guess I'm staying here…for now…"

"Hm." Wally accepted the vague answer. He was surprised Robin had gotten Batman to agree to even that much.

Robin stood fidgeting a little in front of him, looking a little like a child about to confess to some wrongdoing. "Hey, KF?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I…talk to you…about something?"

Wally wanted to say no. There were a million things that Robin could bring up that Wally really didn't want to discuss. Things that he'd been trying and failing to get over and to never think about again.

But this was Robin, and Wally couldn't refuse. "Um, sure."

"So… I'm sorry about… what I did last night. I shouldn't have. It was selfish."

"Yeah, we really don't have to talk about that." Wally himself was feeling a little strange about what had happened. Mostly because of the way he'd given into Robin's selfish request and the fact that he couldn't bring himself to be sorry about it.

"I know, but I… I just want you to know that… It's not that I…" Robin exhaled loudly and flopped down onto the couch. "This is harder than I thought," he muttered under his breath. "Can I start over?"

"Sure…" Wally said slowly. He had no idea where this was going or why Robin was being so careful about it.

"So… Things have been kind of… weird since Jenny and I split up, and I…"

Wally was struck with a pang of guilt. He'd just realized he hadn't given any thought to Robin's breakup since he found out about it. "Oh shit, Rob, I can't believe I forgot all about that. I haven't even asked—I mean, are you… okay?"

Robin seemed surprised by his question. "Well—"

"What am I saying? Of course you're not okay. You're not sick at all, are you? You're depressed. And it's my fault for—"

"I never said it was your fault," Robin interjected.

"But you said it was because of that time we, um, kissed." Wally had almost said "made out" and was intensely glad he hadn't. They'd never get over that embarrassment.

"I said the two things happened on the same day. I didn't say they were related."

"So… They're not?"

Robin glanced at the door through which Batman had disappeared moments ago as if seeking some sort of guidance. "You shouldn't worry about that, KF. Let's just not bring it up anymore, okay?"

"Oh, okay," Wally answered, a little confused but mostly relieved. "So… What did you want to talk about? Sorry, I interrupted you earlier…"

"Oh, uh, that was it." Robin snatched his cell phone off the coffee table and began typing away furiously on it.

"Really? What we just talked about was…?"

"Yup," Robin said without looking up. "That was what I wanted to tell you. Just that you shouldn't worry about the whole Jenny thing anymore."

"Are you sure that was it?"

"Absolutely sure." Robin stood suddenly, his face blank as he continued to type on his phone. "I'm heading out for a bit. I'll… I'll see you later." He didn't spare even one glance for Wally as he hurried out at an alarming speed.

Wally stared at the door as it clicked shut behind Robin. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd missed something.


	9. Last Stand

**Author's Note: DONE. Omg, I cannot believe I'm /finally/ posting this chapter (which, I remind you, is the LAST full chapter; only a short epilogue left). There is no way to express how much I appreciated all your comments and messages as I was writing this. As many of you other writers know, ending a story is very difficult and a little painful, so I needed every bit of encouragement I got. Please, please enjoy this chapter (it took 3x more rewrites than my other chapters and is much longer than any of the previous ones) and hang tight for the epilogue :)  
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**For context: 13-year-old Dick and 15-year-old Wally in this memory  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc.**

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><p>Bruises<p>

Chapter 9: Last Stand

Wally half-believed he was dreaming when he came to. A full, silver moon filled his vision, its milky face broken by a network of crisscrossing branches above him. There was the sound of footsteps through crunching leaves, and as he looked towards the approaching figure, his cheek scraped against the ground, stirring up the smell of dirt mixed with char.

The person dropped down next to him, and something about the movement sparked recognition.

"How long was I out?" His voice was raw and distant to his own ears.

"About a minute. You didn't miss much."

"How'd we do?"

"The guys from the car are out cold. Superboy and Kaldur are grabbing them. M'gann and Artemis have one back at the harbor too."

"Is that all of them?"

"That's all of them. Not a bad night, I'd say." Robin leaned over him, hands probing and checking for injuries. His breath sounded loud and ragged as he moved in close.

"Yeah," Wally sighed, closing his eyes as his vision began to swim. "Probably would've been better if I hadn't nearly been blown up, but who's complaining?"

"Hey, I warned you when I was setting it off. Not my fault you were too busy showing off to listen."

"That's the last time I volunteer to be bait. Especially when the plan involves you and explosives."

"I knew you could handle it. See if you can get up," Robin ordered in that all-business tone specially reserved for missions.

Wally sat up slowly. A wave of dizziness hit him, and he clutched his head. Robin's hand gripped his shoulder hard. "We should probably get you checked out. You could have a concussion."

Wally closed his eyes again and waited for the dizziness to pass. In the silence, Robin's erratic breathing was nearly deafening. He must've hit his head pretty hard.

"Yeah, maybe," he conceded. As he began to clamor to his feet, Robin grabbed him around the waist and slung Wally's arm around his shoulders to support him.

They started out of the woods together, trudging back towards Happy Harbor and their teammates.

The cool air slowly began to clear Wally's head, and he teased good-naturedly, "You better think of something good to make this up to me. Something that's worth _at least_ five birthdays. And two Christmases."

"I'll keep that—" Robin's breath hitched as he adjusted his grip. "Keep that in mind."

Alarm seized Wally suddenly. After so many years together, it had become second nature to him to know when something was wrong with Robin. He would've realized it sooner if his head hadn't been so fuzzy. "Why are you breathing like that?" he demanded.

"Like what? This is how I breathe."

"No, you're breathing funny. Are you—"

"It's nothing." The strain in his voice was distinct now that Wally was looking for it.

"Wait_._"Wally stopped dead in his tracks and pulled his arm back to keep Robin from forcing him forward. His forearm felt oddly damp.

"Come on, KF, keep walking."

It was when Robin grabbed his wrist again that he noticed it—a large, dark stain against the bright yellow of his sleeve. The blood looked nearly black in the darkness. "Robin…"

"I'm fine. It hurts, but it's not bad."

Wally's heart was pounding and an intense pressure was building in his head, as he struggled to keep down the intense fear that threatened to engulf him. "But you're bleeding. Like_ a lot._ We should—"

"Later_._" Robin locked his arm in an iron grip and started to drag him forward. "We need to get you back to the cave. I still think you might have a concussion."

"I don't have a concussion! You're the one who's hurt!" he insisted.

"Wally, _chill out_," Robin ordered as he continued to pull him along. "I promise it's only a small cut. Trust me, a head injury's a lot more dangerous."

Wally could not escape the awful feeling like he was being handled. Like when some terrible tragedy has occurred and all the adults around you try to act normal so you won't know. The parallel only increased the sense of _wrongness_ he felt. That wrongness that had been building and building—beginning with the half-truths, the forced friendliness, and culminating to this precise moment when he realized with sickening clarity that Robin _did_ lie to him, had always lied to him.

He dug his heels into the ground, fighting Robin's strength. "_Stop it!_ Stop pretending like everything's fine when it's not!"

He saw the stubborn tightening of the younger boy's jaw. His determination to lock into his act spoke of the enormity of what he was trying to hide.

"The more you say you're okay, the more I know you're not!" There was a strange echo to Wally's words, but he ignored it. "I always have to read into everything you say and there's no way to know if you're lying or telling the truth! It's the most backwards, messed up thing ever!"

_Wally? What's going on?_ M'gann asked with concern.

Wally wasn't sure if the words were said aloud or in his mind. He didn't stop to think about it, because Robin demanded in frustration, "What's wrong with you? I told you, it's _nothing_—"

"Robin, all this blood came off of _you_!" He shouted, shoving his stained sleeve into the younger boy's face. "What screwed up reason do you have for wanting me to ignore that? I don't know if you're dying or—"

_Did Robin get hurt?_

_It didn't look serious when I saw it._

"I'm not going to die, KF, you idiot."

But the blood soaking Wally's arm told a different story. Robin was just lying, lying like he always did. Manipulating to put more and more distance between them. It was understandable. Wally had been so desperately in love with the younger boy for so long, it was probably disgusting to him. Robin had come to despise Wally and his unwanted feelings. It made sense now. In fact, this injury was probably an act of will. He had come to hate Wally so much that he'd made a last-ditch attempt to rid himself of Wally and their troublesome relationship forever. He shuddered violently, and the world around him seemed to fracture.

"That's _stupid_. Why would I do that?"

_I think Wally hit his head too hard._

_We should take the bioship over and pick them up._

_I can't land her in all those trees._

Wally's head ached terribly. He pressed his palms against his temples. There was too much crammed into his mind at once. His teammates voices, his own dark emotions and frenzied thoughts were pressing in on him like a great mass of people, and he felt like he was slowly suffocating amidst the crushing, writhing bodies.

_Well, we have to do __**something**_.

_Robin, just bring him back here_.

"ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Robin's voice cut straight through his mind.

The sweet silence that followed was like suddenly finding he could breathe again.

Robin's face appeared before him, and he gripped the sides of Wally's head hard. "KF," he said firmly. "All we're doing is wasting time here. We need to get back to the cave so we can _both_ get treated. That means we have to start moving _now_. Okay?"

Robin's words were beginning to make sense, and it was much easier to think without all the extra voices in his mind. But he couldn't shake those last thoughts. Robin still appeared to him wrapped in manipulation and resentment, determined to hurt Wally and ultimately abandon him.

Robin pulled off his domino mask. Even in the darkness, Wally imagined he could see the bright blue of the younger boy's eyes. The familiar color calmed him somewhat. "I promised you, remember? No matter what, I won't ever hate you. So stop worrying." Robin's fierce grip added weight to his words.

Wally nodded mutely, feeling oddly hollow.

"Come on. Let's go." Robin took Wally's hand, fingers locking around his wrist painfully. There was no patience or softness in the way he led Wally out of the woods. No pretense to ease the rawness between them. Wally drank in every second of it. Because he didn't know when he'd ever feel something this true from Robin again.

~o*O*o~

The room was tense as Kaldur fixed a bandage over the fresh cut across Robin's shoulder blade. Despite Wally's insistence that Robin was about to bleed to death and Robin's insistence that Wally had a concussion, it appeared that no one had sustained any lasting damage. So all in all, no one was permanently injured, they'd rounded up all the bad guys—the mission had been a complete success even by Batman's standards. Things rarely ever went so smoothly for them. It was certainly reason to be proud and happy.

But the confrontation between Robin and Wally had shaken them all. They had only heard pieces—snatches of Wally's distressed words and thoughts that had trickled into their mind link—but what they had heard was cause enough for concern.

"You should all go rest up." Kaldur found the sound of his own voice odd in the tense quiet. "We are nearly finished here."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Artemis, Superboy, and M'gann turn to leave the med lab_._ But Wally lingered close to Robin, scattered, nervous energy buzzing around him. "I can wait."

Kaldur was sorry to send him away when he was like this, but it would be impossible to speak to Robin freely while the speedster was still here. "Go ahead, Wally," he said firmly. "I will send Robin after you when we are finished."

He looked like he wanted to protest, but Robin said firmly, "Go." He pointedly pulled away from the older boy. "I'll see you back at the apartment."

Reluctantly, Wally set off towards the door. He walked at a purposefully normal pace, as if he were hoping one of them would call him back. But neither did, and when he was gone, Robin looked at Kaldur tiredly. "I know things are messed up right now," he said quickly. "And I'm sorry. But I promise I'll fix everything."

It was a practiced speech. Probably one he'd given a hundred times to Batman. But Kaldur didn't want to have a rehearsed conversation. "You cannot expect me to leave this alone."

Robin stared down at his knees and made no attempt to argue. He looked small and young on the metal examination table, stripped down to his waist and without the protection of his cloak to hide his thin frame.

"What is it that is bothering you, Robin?"

Robin glanced up at him with surprise. "You're not going to ask about Wally?"

Kaldur considered the question for a moment. It was true that Wally's rollercoaster moods were distressing. And tonight's episode was something he needed to address soon. But for someone who wore his heart on his sleeve like Wally, it was never necessary to tell others you needed comfort. Surely someone else from the team was already trying to help him. Robin's quiet, self-destructive suffering, which often went unnoticed, was of greater concern. "Perhaps we will get to that later. First, tell me what has you so troubled lately."

"I know you want to help, Kaldur. But I don't think there's anything you can do."

"I am not arrogant enough to claim I can solve your problems. I simply want you to have the chance to tell someone about them."

Robin quickly slumped in defeat, as if he'd been hoping all along that Kaldur would press him enough to give in. "It's kind of a long story…"

Kaldur was determined to hear him out no matter how long or complicated the story, but a small movement near the door distracted him. "Artemis?" He hadn't seen the archer slip back in.

"Are you guys done?" Her hands were on her hips, and she looked prepared for a fight.

"We…" His eyes slid back to Robin, who was wearing a look like a coiling snake.

"Good, because I have something to say to Robin."

The younger boy hopped off of the examination table. "You'll have to get in line," he hissed as he stalked past her out the door to the living room.

"Robin, wait." Kaldur followed quickly, Artemis at his heels. They found Superboy and M'gann sitting on the couch in front of a blank TV screen. Superboy jumped to his feet awkwardly when they came in, and M'gann turned to them with wide-eyed concern. It was clear they'd both been waiting.

"What… what happened?" Superboy asked.

Robin halted, realizing he was now trapped in the midst of his four teammates. He coiled tighter. "What is this? An _intervention_?"

"We are just trying to understand what the problem is," Kaldur stated calmly.

"There _isn't_ a problem."

"Did you forget about Wally's little mental breakdown back at the harbor?" Artemis growled, crossing her arms. The angles of her body were sharp. "He _freaked_ _out_. He was a nervous _wreck_. And it's all because of your stupid mind games. If you don't stop screwing with his head, you're going to seriously mess him up."

Kaldur was taken aback by her vicious tone. He realized he was at last seeing what had been brewing under the surface for months. Maybe even longer. This should've been brought into the open sooner. It had been festering for too long.

That coiling thing in Robin's eyes lashed out with a mean smile. "But I'm having so much _fun_. A sweet, honest person like Wally—who could resist toying with him?"

Kaldur snatched Artemis' arm as she lurched forward as if to throw herself at the younger boy. "Stop it. _Both_ of you." He cast Robin a warning look. "Is this really how you are going to act after all we have been through together? We are still a team, are we not?"

"Most of the time," Artemis hissed yanking her arm out of Kaldur's grasp. "It starts to get a little murky when we're off the field."

Kaldur gripped her slim shoulder, temper flaring. "Let me rephrase," he said tersely. "We are _always_ a team, on or off duty. And this behavior is _unacceptable_."

Artemis bit her lip, faltering for a moment. "But he… _Wally_—"

"Doesn't need _your_ protection," Robin said, voice like ice. Then that glint of cruel pleasure was back in his eyes. "Besides, I've always taken such _good care_ of him."

This time it was Superboy who prevented Artemis from attacking the younger boy. "Don't let him get to you," he said, as he held her shoulders in an iron grip.

"Great, now I'm getting anger management lessons from Mr. Any Problem Will Be Solved If I Punch It In The Face Hard Enough."

Superboy scowled. "I'm just saying, there's no point in getting mad at him for being jealous."

"Jealous of _what_?"

"Of—"

"_Look,_ it's going to be fine," Robin cut in quickly. He was suddenly very serious. "Really, you guys can stop lecturing me about Wally already. I'll take care it. Everything will be back to normal soon."

"Wait." A look of confusion crossed Superboy's face as he glanced around at the rest of his teammates. "No one else knows?"

"Knows what, Conner?" M'gann asked gently.

"I thought it was…obvious."

"What are you talking about?" Artemis snapped.

"How Robin feels—"

"You're an _alien_!" Robin snarled, stunning Superboy into silence. "Don't presume to know anything about _human_ emotions!"

"_Robin!_" Kaldur rebuked sharply. But the younger boy had already spun on his heal and stalked off, fleeing through the zeta beam.

~o*O*o~

_Wally was staring at him._

"_What?"_

"_Nothing." He looked away, and Dick shrugged it off as just another weird thing about the older boy. He took a sip of soda and turned the page of his textbook. School got more and more boring the older you grew._

_There was a prickling sensation on his neck and he looked up to find Wally staring at him again. "Dude, __**what**__?"_

_The older boy's lips pressed together, trying very hard to suppress a smile. "It's nothing! I __**promise**__."_

_Dick turned back to his reading._

_The third time he felt Wally staring at him, he knew it was some sort of game. Probably Wally just trying to see how long he could stare at Robin before the younger boy noticed._

_Dick pretended not to feel the older boy's gaze. He cold sense Wally's frustration mounting as the game stretched on. Dick didn't know how Wally would last, but he was positive he could last longer. Wally had less patience than a two-year-old._

_As he took another sip of soda, he snuck a glance at the older boy over the rim of the can. Wally was watching him with such intense concentration that he was going cross-eyed.__Dick tried to hold his laughter back; he really did. But the more he tried to suppress it, the more it bubbled up. He really couldn't help it when he spit soda all over Wally's face and started laughing hysterically._

"_**UGH! Gross, Robin!**__" The look of utter disgust his friend wore as the spitty soda dripped down his face only made him laugh harder._

_He apologized profusely between giggles. "Hold-hold on a sec!" He ran to the kitchen to grab a few sheets of paper towels, still laughing to himself._

"_I can't __**believe**__ you did that!"_

"_It's your own fault for making me laugh! Hold still." He began to mop up the soda on the older boy's face. "Besides, a little spit won't kill you."_

"_You don't know that! There are tons of diseases that are spread through spit!"_

"_I don't have any diseases, KF," Dick said, rolling his eyes. "You'll be fine. Stop squirming!" He wrapped his hand around the back of Wally's neck to keep him from moving too much._

_Wally grumbled but obediently stilled. His eyes squeezed shut as Dick passed the paper towel over his forehead. When he opened them again, Dick couldn't help but notice that they were very green. Of course, they were always green. But at that moment the light was picking up on varying shades beneath—bright flecks of color framed by a rich, dark ring. Wally had the sort of eyes that always showed just what he was thinking. Like right now there was surprise and embarrassment and amusement, but under it all a distinct hum of excitement. The honesty in those clear green eyes was always so refreshing._

"_Um, Rob?"_

_Dick snapped out of his thoughts and realized that he was holding Wally's face and staring into his eyes in a very creepy way. He jerked back, feeling his face grow hot._

"_Ineedtoreadsomemore," he babbled, whipping open his book again and studying the pages with an aura of intense concentration._

_Wally just shrugged and pulled a bag of chips out of his backpack of snacks, seemingly unaffected._

_Dick tried to make sense of the text swimming in front of him, but his eyes kept drifting back to the older boy. Wally had finished most of the chips in record time, and he tipped his head back to pour the last bits from the bag into his mouth. The dusting of freckles across his collarbones stood brightly in the contrast between his pale skin and dark shirt._

_Wally tossed the chip bag aside and threw himself across Dick's lap to reach for the forgotten soda can. He peered at it suspiciously. "Did you spit back into this?"_

"_Um, maybe a little."_

_Wally sighed and put it back down. "You should get me a drink. One that hasn't been contaminated."_

"_I'm doing homework."_

"_You mean you're not done yet?"_

"_No."_

_With another overdramatic sigh, Wally let his head fall against Dick's knee. He reached down to Dick's ankle and pulled at the fraying ends of his jeans, determined to be a nuisance._

_The soft tickle of Wally's fingers at his skin and the warmth of his breath on his knee caused Dick's heart to pound._

_This was going to be a very big problem._

_He hid behind his textbook once more._

~o*O*o~

"About time," Wally said as his apartment door opened and Robin stepped in. "What—" He wanted to add something funny or witty, but he found his thoughts tripping over themselves as they ran a mile a minute and couldn't make sense of them at all, so the sentence broke off, the end dangling awkwardly in the space between them. He drummed his fingers against his knee. He needed to _move_ or do something to get rid of this nervous energy inside of him.

Robin was watching him carefully. Meeting the intensity of his gaze made Wally even more anxious, so instead his eyes settled upon the corner of gauze peeking over Robin's bare shoulder. The smell of blood overpowered him, and for a moment he struggled to discern memory from present time. "Can you put a shirt on or something?"

"I don't, um…I don't need one."

Wally grasped desperately at Robin's bad attempt at a joke. "Well congratulations on your high self-esteem."

Robin settled next to him, still fixing him with that gaze of open scrutiny. "Sorry I kind of freaked you out."

"Don't remind me." Inwardly, he tried to talk himself down. Robin was fine. It was only a small injury. And that was the reason Robin hadn't made a big deal out of it. He wasn't going to die, he didn't hate Wally, and he wasn't being purposefully cruel. It was just Wally's prior anxieties and fears that were causing him all this distress. There really wasn't anything to worry about.

Wally's hands were shaking, and he clasped them together so that Robin wouldn't see.

"_Wally_."

He could feel the heat from Robin's body as the younger boy closed the distance between them. Soft, warm breath ghosted across his cheek. He turned and Robin's lips touched the corner of his mouth. Unthinkingly, he slid a hand behind Robin's neck and kissed him with painful relief.

The pure physical act was a comfort he could not describe. A clear, tangible assurance that Robin was there, still caring about him.

Robin kissed him back slow and sweet, thumb soothing over his cheekbone and down his jaw. The sharp edges of Wally's nerves dulled with the tickle of Robin's hair against his palm and Robins' pulse under his fingertips. His thoughts slowed and settled quietly to the back of his mind.

He pulled back a little, and let his forehead rest lightly against Robin's. It was quiet except for the sound of their breathing. Robin's mouth was still inches from his own, lips parted, inviting.

It seemed only natural for Robin's arms to go around his neck and gently but insistently draw him back in. This was different from the few desperate kisses they'd shared before. That night his heart had been hammering in his chest, blood rushing through his body, long-suppressed desire driving him forward at that first taste of indulgence. Now he was calmer, able to relax in the confidence that this was where Robin wanted to be. The younger boy tightened his hold and pulled Wally with him as he lay back.

Wally pressed him into the cushions, hands skimming up his bare sides. Robin arched slightly, urging his touch. It was so nice, so…_easy_. He missed this kind of simplicity between them.

Robin tugged his shirt up. The cool air against his skin brought a sudden panic like a noose was tightening around his neck.

He broke away.

"Hold—hold on."

"What?" Robin asked distractedly, trying to pull him back into the slow, pleasant warmth of their kiss.

Wally stopped him with a hand against his shoulder. "Why are you—"

"Does it matter?" For a moment, Wally forgot all reason as the soft, low tone in Robin's voice caused a sweet thrill to run down his body. Taking advantage of Wally's momentary lapse in will, Robin leaned in to capture his lips again.

Wally jerked upright, purposefully putting distance between them. "I don't like this," he declared. And now that he said it aloud, he knew it to be true, despite how easy and natural things had appeared for a brief moment. "It just doesn't… It feels off. Something about _you_ feels off."

Robin pushed his bangs back—a failed attempt to look unconcerned. "Don't be stupid."

"I'm not being stupid. You were the one who said I had to get over you. So why are you…?"

"I changed my mind."

"This isn't something you can just _change your mind_ about."

"Well, I did," Robin said firmly. "So quit being so stubborn and—"

Wally knocked the younger boy's hand away as he reached for him again. "I just don't like this is all. I can't figure out why you're doing it."

"Stop making this so difficult!" Robin snapped with sudden ferocity. "You want to fix things between us, right? So let's just do this and get it over with already. It's just once anyway so… so…" He dropped his face into his hands and swore.

Wally was momentarily stunned by the dizzying switch from sweetness to anger. But he recovered quickly as Robin's last few phrases sunk in." 'Do it and get it over with,' huh? Wow, you're a real romantic, Rob," Wally said scathingly.

"No one said anything about romance," Robin spat.

"Now you're _really_ making it sound appealing," Wally said with heavy sarcasm. "How will I ever resist temptation?"

"Shut up. Just shut up," he ordered with more viciousness than necessary. "Hand me a shirt."

Wally snatched up the duffle bag next to him that Robin was waving at and angrily chucked the whole thing at him. "And what do you mean 'fix things between us?' How would that have helped anything?"

Robin said nothing, expression turning cold as he yanked out a shirt from his bag and pulled it over his head with sharp, crisp movements.

"You thought I wanted to sleep with you so—"

"Look, I got it alright?" he said, voice too loud. "You don't want to. I misunderstood." There was an odd tenseness about him—a kind of barely-concealed volatility that reminded Wally of a younger Robin who would lash out when he was injured because he wanted to protect himself from further harm.

"It's not that I don't want to," Wally relented, fresh guilt settling in him.

"_Stop_," Robin snapped. "It's fine, okay? I thought I'd figured out a way to help, but I was wrong, so let's just forget about it."

Wally almost wanted to agree, pretend that the whole thing never happened, and content himself with brooding over his unanswered questions in the coming weeks. But that was falling back into an old pattern he had grown to hate. So he pressed, "First tell me why you thought this was such a good idea."

He expected the answer to come slowly and painfully, like pulling teeth. But Robin surprised him by answering flatly, "Isn't sleeping with you a surefire way to make you get over someone? Seems to work with girls anyway."

Wally felt his face heat up. So much for the unspoken ban on this subject. "That's different."

"I'm sure."

"It _is_," Wally insisted. "It's not like I was in love with any of them."

"Congratulations. You've had sex with a bunch of girls you're not in love with. I'm sure there's some sort of award for that."

"But it's not _my_ fault! I mean, I guess it is," he amended, seeing Robin's annoyed expression, "But what am I supposed to do? My feelings are always tied up with you, so what's left?"

Something like uncertainty flickered across Robin's face.

Wally took that as a sign that he was winning the argument, so he plowed forward. "So, if you think about it, it's actually _your_ fault. If you'd just stop being so…so…_everything_, then maybe I could actually fall in love with someone else for once."

Robin looked down at his knees. "Oh."

Wally waited as Robin laced and unlaced his fingers in his lap. Nothing else followed. No anger or concession or anything. Wally was torn between annoyance and concern. "That's it? '_Oh?_' You know, _I _was the one who hit my head and had a nervous breakdown earlier, so I don't know why you're the one acting weird now."

"I'm just, um, not sure what should happen."

"Well, usually your rejections involve yelling at me or walking out on me. I'm not sure if you want to use one of those again or try something—"

"I _mean,_" Robin cut in, "should we like…date or something?

"Date," Wally parroted.

"But that seems too easy. It's not like everything's magically fixed. And how would I even know if that would work? It sounds like a perfect setup for disaster."

The sounds coming out of Robin's mouth made up words and sentences, but Wally found himself unable to comprehend them. "Date," he said again.

"Yes, _date_," Robin said with exasperation. "It's what people in love usually do, right?"

"You're in love with me?"

"Didn't I say that?"

"No, what you said was 'Let's have sex and solve the world's problems. It would be so unromantic.' You never said anything about…about…"

"Well," Robin began matter-of-factly, "I wasn't about to tell you when I thought you were just trying to get into my pants."

"When you thought _WHAT?_"

Robin shrugged, unapologetic. "Can't blame people for making certain assumptions about you. It's your own fault for sleeping around. And staring at me all the time. Don't forget the staring."

Wally's face began to burn. "What's wrong with _looking_ at you? I'm looking at you now, aren't I?"

"But it's the _way_ you look sometimes. Like…" he searched his head for a good analogy. "Have you ever seen the way a dog looks when you hold a piece of meat just out of his reach? With all that drooling and—"

"_Stop, stop, stop_!" Wally pleaded, trying to wave the words out of the air in front of him. He was going to pass out soon from all the blood rushing to his face.

"What? It's _true_." Robin looked like he was beginning to enjoy himself. "Ever wondered why I don't bend over around you?"

"_Robin!"_ There was no saving his dignity now. He glared as Robin cackle with evil glee. "Haha yeah it's so funny that my best friend thought I was a sex-crazed lunatic who was waiting for the chance to jump him."

"It's a little funny."

Wally's head was starting to hurt, but at least some things were coming together. If Robin had really made that assumption, it made sense the way he'd been on-guard so often. Well, except for those moments when he would be overly touchy. "Okay, wait, tell me straight. No more sneaking around it—Do you love me?"

That sobered Robin up quickly. "Yeah," he answered seriously. "I'm surprised you never figured it out. I was so sure you would."

"Of course," Wally said sarcastically, "How stupid of me not to realize that dating a bunch of pretty girls, being mean to me, and getting mad when—Okay, when I say it like that, it actually is kind of obvious. In an elementary school kind of way."

"Kids in your elementary school dated?"

He shoved the younger boy, who simply laughed in return. It was wonderful to hear that laugh again. Like there had been a deep, twisted pain within him that had at last uncoiled itself, allowing joyful relief to show through. It was an intoxicating happiness.

Wally reached out and touched Robin's wrist lightly, savoring the warmth of bare skin under his fingers. The smile Robin gave him was encouraging. Cautiously, still not believing he could, Wally slid his hands around the younger boy's waist and pulled him close.

There was something dreamlike about the way the air was heavy with summer heat and the walls were awash with the pale, golden light of a new morning sun. It was a quiet, peaceful way to end a long night.

He brushed his lips against the shell of Robin's ear, and the younger boy shuddered slightly. It was amazing, indescribable to know that he could affect Robin this way.

"This means you're going to stop fake dating Artemis now, right?" Robin asked suddenly, half-teasing, half-threatening into Wally's shoulder.

"Yeah, guess I will."

"_Good_." He fingered Wally's collar absentmindedly. "Because—and you probably didn't notice this because I was so sneaky about it—it _really_ pisses me off."

Wally pressed his face into Robin's hair to stifle his laughter.


	10. Epilogue

**Author's Note: Yes, it is finally, FINALLY here! Inexcusably late but here nonetheless. You all have the wonderful Emi Sue to thank for this epilogue. She sent me this nicest, politest pm that motivated me to actually get this done. Thanks, Emi Sue! :D  
><strong>

**And thank you to my many lovely readers for all the praise, constructive criticism, and patience I could've asked for. YJ fans are the best *hugs* Enjoy the epilogue!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, DC characters, etc.**

* * *

><p>Epilogue<p>

_I tried to do handstands for you  
>I tried to do handstands for you<br>But every time I fell on you, yeah, every time I fell  
>I tried to do handstands for you<br>But every time I fell for you  
>I'm permanently black and blue, permanently blue for you<br>~ "Bruises" by Chairlift_

~o*O*o~

_November_

Wally's phone was being obstinate.

He glared at it with as much ferocity as he could manage. But the treacherous little thing remained dark and silent, unaffected by the barrage of dark hatred Wally was directing towards it.

"I know you're doing this on purpose," Wally accused vehemently.

Unsurprisingly, his phone offered no defense.

Wally was sure the feigned innocence was all a part of its evil scheme to get him relaxed enough to fall asleep. And once he was out, _then_ the text would come. _HA!_ As if he'd fall for _that_!

Wally continued his vigilance resolutely, convinced that if he closed his eyes even for a second, he'd miss everything. It was a losing battle, of course. He'd been up most of the night waiting, and his sleep-deprived mind was having trouble focusing on the thrilling one-sided staring contest. As the minutes stretched on, his thoughts drifted further and further away from him, and the sensation was so pleasant that Wally began to think sleep was a very good idea…

_Maybe Robin hadn't said "tonight."—_The thought was like a sharp jab in Wally's side and in an instant he was wide-awake and snatching his phone off the dresser.

He could've read the message wrong. Maybe Robin had actually written "tomorrow" or something. Yes, that _had_ to be it. It all made sense now.

Feeling altogether better about the evening, if a little silly about his mistake, Wally cheerfully scrolled through his texts and pulled up Robin's latest which read, "_No, I haven't been shot, stabbed, mauled, gored, or otherwise maimed. I just haven't answered your texts because they're ridiculous. You're ridiculous. I'm coming to your ridiculous place tonight."_

It was the same as the last hundred times he'd read it. Wally felt like a deflating balloon. _Of course_ it was the same. But the clock on his phone read 4:57am, which meant that "tonight" had passed without the younger boy making an appearance.

Wally threw himself back on his bed with a loud groan of frustration. The sound echoing off the walls reminded him that he was very alone and that he missed Robin fiercely. Dumb Batman taking away his Robin for two weeks for some dumb case. Selfish is what it was. Just plain selfish.

Though admittedly, sometimes even two _hours_ apart from the younger boy was enough to make him feel lonely. He had gotten used to the younger boy's constant presence in the apartment, and somehow, even months after Robin had stopped staying with him, he was still finding it very difficult to get _un_used to it.

He felt the familiar urge to brood over these thoughts for a time, churn them over in his mind until they were mushy and muddled. But he was tired and he'd already spent too much of this night being moody and depressed. Robin and his stupid not-being-here could wait, he decided. He needed sleep.

Wally flipped onto his side and covered his head with his pillow, determined to forget about everything. He allowed himself to sink deep into his mattress as he waited for sleep to envelop him. It was, of course, at this moment that his phone chose to vibrate against his arm. He fumbled for it in the sheets.

'_I'm right above you,'_ the text read.

Wally looked up, scouring every inch of his bedroom ceiling until another messaged lit up his screen.

'_Haha you looked at the ceiling, didn't you?'_

Wally scowled and started typing furiously, but Robin's next message cut him off.

'_On the roof, genius.'_

Only Robin would think the roof was an obvious place for a person to be. Wally spent a few moments trying to compose the most scathing reply he could think of. He got as far as _'You're stupid,' _before deciding his sluggish mind was not up to the task. Anger was best conveyed in person anyway, he reasoned, as he clamored out of bed.

A few minutes later, he was shivering in the early morning chill, scowling at the Boy Wonder who had made him stay up all night and go outside in the ungodly cold.

"Took you long enough," Robin said by way of greeting.

"Says the one who's _hours_ late."

Robin just smiled apologetically, looking a little unsteady on his feet. Wally gave the younger boy a onceover and quickly noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the fading bruise along his jaw, and the faint impression of a domino masked removed not too long ago. Robin had clearly been up all night. Maybe the last few nights.

Wally struggled to hold onto his anger as he observed the exhausted teen. "You should've gotten some sleep before you came," he chided a little too harshly.

Robin appeared unconcerned. "I can sleep here, can't I?" Which Wally knew was Robin-speak for "I wanted to see you." Equal parts affection and annoyance swelled within him. How was he supposed to stay mad at the younger boy now?

He watched Robin a stifled a yawn. It wasn't a gesture that should make you fall in love with someone all over again. But for some reason it sparked a warmth in Wally's chest that gradually spread to his whole body. It didn't matter how annoyed he had been; he was really ridiculously happy to see Robin again. He stepped in close and reached for the younger boy's waist.

Robin jerked away when Wally's lips brushed his, eyes appearing wild and panicked.

Wally's hand hung outstretched in the air, frozen by the shocking disappointment and the sudden cold space between them.

Quickly realizing what he had done, Robin's look turned to embarrassment. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Oh, uh, no I don't—I mean, it's fine," Wally managed to stammer out. It wasn't that he hadn't experienced this reaction before—Robin's defenses just came up automatically at times—but it had been a while since the younger boy had pulled away with that amount of distress. Wally wasn't sure what to make of that.

"So, um…" he grappled for a topic to help put the moment out of his mind. "Rooftop?" was what he settled on.

"You know, just, sunrise," Robin explained with a careless wave towards the pale, gold light peaking through the buildings. "Thought it'd be nice, I guess."

"Oh." Wally graciously turned to observe the view. "Yeah, it _is_ nice—"

Robin cut him off abruptly. "Never mind, let's just go inside."

Wally obligingly followed him back down the stairs, feeling clumsy and strangely uneasy as they descended. He had been looking forward to this reunion with Robin all night, but it just didn't seem to be going the way he had hoped. They weren't fitting together like they usually did, and that bothered him immensely.

Thankfully, his worries faded to the back of his mind as they entered the blessed warmth of his apartment. Even his crappy place felt like heaven after the cold, painful interlude was dreaming of burrowing under the covers for a nice, long sleep when Robin suddenly stopped short.

"What is _that_?"

The two of them stood before a mess of blankets and comforters invading the living room like a disease.

"Oh, um, forgot about that…"

"Is that a _blanket __fort_?" Robin asked, features lighting up a bit.

The structure had swallowed the entire floor, leaving it nearly impossible to get from one side of the room to the other. In fact, the only way to cross was by leaping from the coffee table to the couch to the open floor beyond. Wally had perfected this path a week ago and had been using it with such frequency it had become almost natural. This meant that he had forgotten how ridiculous the whole set-up would appear from an outside perspective. "Yes, well..." Wally struggled to muster up a witty response and reclaim some dignity.

"You know that fort-making becomes creepy after the age of 6, right?"

"I was _bored_!" Wally said defensively. "You don't know what it's like living by yourself!"

Robin appeared thoroughly amused now. "Apparently it's like stepping back into kindergarten."

Wally made a face at the younger boy, but Robin just laughed and dove through the blanket entrance. Wally quickly ducked in after him, unwilling to let the younger boy out of his sight for too long.

"Well, even if it's creepy, at least it's comfortable." Robin stretched out with a contented sigh over the pillows and comforters lining the floor.

Wally hovered over the younger boy for a moment, considering where to situate himself. His instinct was, as usual, to cling to Robin like a second skin, but he wondered if it would be better to leave a little distance between them. He felt strangely disconnected from the younger boy, and the incident from the rooftop had left him raw and oversensitive. He wasn't really in the mood to face another rejection.

Robin peered up at him from under his dark bangs, blue eyes piercing through him. "You're not turning into someone who actually _thinks_ before he does things, are you?" he teased.

"Oh shut up." And Wally promptly threw all his misgivings out the window and flopped down right on top of him.

"Ugh, you're so _heavy,_" Robin grunted.

"It's because of my _massive_ intellect." He hugged the younger boy tight as he could, partly out of frustration but mostly out of affection.

Robin let out a long, exasperated sigh, but his fingers threaded through Wally's hair reassuringly. Wally pressed his face against the younger boy's neck, relieved to feel something like familiarity settling over them at last. "Batman's not allowed to take you away for that long again," he stated against Robin's skin. "I command it."

"Hn commanding Bruce sounds like a good way to get yourself hospitalized."

"Then I shall command you to command him. He'll never see that coming."

"Ingenious."

"Yes, I am pure ingenuity wrapped in awesome, sexy manliness." Robin's boney hip was digging into his stomach, so he wriggled down a bit, trying to get comfortable.

Robin shifted to accommodate him. "I will allow you to believe that about yourself, on the condition that you never use the phrase 'awesome, sexy manliness' again."

"Why not?" Robin's shoulder was in his face now, so he had to move again.

"Because it's dumb."

"It's not dumb. It has the word 'awesome' in it."

"Tacking the word 'awesome' onto a phrase doesn't make it awesome, idiot. And—_would you quit fidgeting_?"

"I can't help it! You're not comfty!"

"Somehow I can't bring myself to be upset about that."

"No really, why are you not comfty anymore?" Wally demanded. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and examined the younger boy suspiciously. The shape of him was off somehow. "Are you…_bigger_?"

"Huh?"

He observed the width of Robin's shoulders and the shape of his torso. Even with the loose t-shirt he wore, it was easy to see the younger boy had filled out a little.

"You _are_!"

"_What _are you talking about?"

"You being not-so-puny anymore! Look, you've got actual muscles now!" he exclaimed, grabbing at the ends of Robin's shirt to pull it up.

Robin smacked his hands away.

"Did that really happen in the last two weeks?"

The younger boy rolled his eyes. "How should I know?"

"Because if it did, if that's what's happening now, I command you to stop. Stop growing before you get bigger than me."

"That's _really_ what you're worried about?"

"Well, it's not fair, is it? I mean, I've _always_ been bigger than you."

"That's just because you're _older_," Robin said, laughing.

"Yeah, but… _Still_," Wally finished lamely and flopped back down. He listened to the sound of Robin's laugh reverberating in his chest and realized with some surprise that he was completely at ease. Whatever awkwardness had wedged itself between them was melting away, leaving only pure intimacy, free of all muddying doubts and anxieties. He let out a contented sigh as Robin's arms slid around his shoulders.

"I promise I'll still like you even if I turn out to be taller than you," Robin reassured him. He said it with such nonchalance, but Wally could feel his heartbeat speed up a little as he spoke.

This time Wally moved carefully, nose brushing against Robin's cheek with slow deliberateness. He held his breath just before their lips touched, half-expecting Robin to pull away again.

But Robin's fingers tangled themselves in his hair in that way he liked—a little rough and without any hesitancy—and dragged him closer, mouth opening under his. The moment wasn't particularly special or significant, but its familiarity was wonderfully soothing.

Robin relaxed back against the pillows and pulled Wally's head to his chest as he settled to sleep. Wally smiled, marveling at how a small gesture like this from Robin could make him feel so wanted and loved. "Dick Grayson," he said against the younger boy's shirt.

"Mmm?"

"Dick Grayson…"

"Why are you saying my name so seriously?"

"Because I'm about to make a serious proclamation."

"Well, make it fast. I'm trying to sleep."

"Dick Grayson, I love you—"

"I knew that already."

"—and I want to marry you."

"Okay, _that_—"

"And have your babies. And we'll name them—"

"_Please_, shut up and go to sleep."

Wally grinned to himself and obediently fell silent. The rise and fall of Robin's chest became slow and even. As Wally drifted off to the gentle rhythm of Robin's breathing, he heard the younger boy murmur, "I love you too, by the way."

And to Wally this was worth a million lonely nights, a lifetime of hurt feelings, and all the missteps in the world.


End file.
